


when the world gets too heavy (put it on my back)

by calamidades



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Discussion of Morality, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Hero's Journey, Kinda, M/M, Miscommunication, Non-Graphic Violence, Original Characters - Freeform, Science Fiction, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, a nonconventional take on the heroic journey trope, as a supporting act, but with a twist, definitely dystopian tho, heads up for minor injury and injury description at the mine scene!, its subtle but its there, its very mildly described
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2020-05-02
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:40:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 23,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23939296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/calamidades/pseuds/calamidades
Summary: "Heroes aren't born. Heroes are created."or, how Kang Yeosang embarks on a hero's journey, twice, and how he could have never done either of them without Jung Wooyoung.
Relationships: Jung Wooyoung/Kang Yeosang
Comments: 11
Kudos: 63
Collections: Wooyoung Love Central Fic Fest 2019





	when the world gets too heavy (put it on my back)

**Author's Note:**

> hello hello!!
> 
> first of all, a note to my prompter: i sincerely hope from the bottom of my heart you enjoy this story. i took some liberations with the heroic journey trope you proposed (its there!!! its just not traditional!!) and i really hope i still did it justice. i've never written dystopia or sci-fi in detail before, so i dont know if i did a good job, but i promise i tried my best! above all, thank you for your prompt! i had so much fun brainstorming and worldbuilding and (again) i really wish i did it justice.
> 
> to the woo luvr central mods: thank you for organizing this fest, for your hard work and for being so patient with me <3 im really grateful
> 
> to the people who stumble upon this and decide to read: please enjoy, i hope you have a good time reading and enjoy this story as much as i did!!
> 
> PS: ik this is a woo-centered fest but i wrote it All in yeo's point of view. i hope this isnt, like, missing the fest's theme or smth? woo is definitely a main character and he definitely gets some love so...
> 
> PPS: title from panic! at the disco's greatest ballad, "always"

It’s a known fact that heroes are the bravest, kindest, noblest people to have ever roamed the Earth. It’s a known fact that heroes live forever in History’s endless memory. It’s a known fact that, without heroes, people would most likely live in more despair than they currently do.

What is _not_ a known fact, however, is something that not even people close to the heroes come to think of. Mostly, the only people that know of this fact are the heroes themselves.

What is not a known fact is that heroes aren’t born.

Heroes are _created_.

Once upon a time, a hero was just a person, before an inside or outside force shaped them into the mighty individual they are known as. The transition from zero to hero is not always a fun ride, as testified by too many Greek legends to count, and sometimes the hero doesn’t even _want_ to be one, forced into a heroic journey by a society that desperately needs some type of martyr to worship before they go crazy inside their little self—absorbed heads.

No hero was born to be one from the start. They just learned how to, either from their own will or from other people’s influence.

With Kang Yeosang, the story wasn’t different.

Well. Not _that_ different, at least.

  
  
  


The news that Nova Iris is being invaded by vandals from the Wastelands arrive first at the citywide broadcast, displayed on every screener in the city, at the same time. It’s hard to miss it — if you’re at home, whatever screen you have on will switch to the broadcast and, if you’re out, that’s what the giant outdoor screeners are for. As unusual as citywide broadcasts are, they’re the first thing to go live when the situation is critical, as a way to warn the citizens of Nova Iris when there’s an emergency coming.

Not that they ever had any emergencies.

Living in Nova Iris is the best thing a person could wish for — there was no poverty, no violence, the government’s priority was to provide maximum comfort to the citizens, and no house ever lacked food, water, warmth or other basic necessities. Having a citywide broadcast announcing a possible state of emergency was completely rare, having only happened twice before now, but never ending in actual emergencies — someone, to the crowd’s rejoicing, always managed to save the city and its people.

Because of its rarity, the broadcast, of course, sends people into a frenzy, wary state. Even more now that it involves people from the Wastelands breaking in, a fate that always existed as a possibility, despite minimal, but that no one dared to consider, too trusty of their border security and too scared that said security might, one day, fail. 

The Wastelands are Nova Iris neighboring city, though no one ever dares to cross the old and rusty metal fence that separates them. Nova Iris was a refuge for people after The Red War, built from scratch in the middle of nowhere with the promise of providing a safe place for people to live in after witnessing and sometimes even feeling the horrors caused by the War. The criteria of acceptance used to admit someone into Nova Iris after its inauguration remains a secret to regular citizens — it’s only known that other survivors who didn’t manage to get in now live in the Wastelands, a big expanse of land, more than five times the size of Nova Iris, that never got tended for, never got rebuilt, it just lays abandoned.

It’s only a rumor, but whispers around the city say that the people from the Wastelands are, of course, not happy with their current state, and constantly try to claim Nova Iris as theirs. While understandable, it doesn’t seem fair to the majority of the citizens, who think they’re, too, in their right to live in a safe haven, and if the ones who live in the Wastelands want a better life so badly, they can very well rebuild their city on their own.

Our hero, Kang Yeosang, doesn’t quite agree with this mindset. To him, a much better solution would be to expand Nova Iris’ territory as a way to hold more people without getting rid of its characteristic comfortable lifestyle. He does not, however, condone breaking in and the disturbance of the peaceful life of people who never did anything wrong. So, as the news anchor says that there have been sightings of Wastelands citizens, armed with rustic, still ballistic weapons, transposing the metal fence and advancing into Nova Iris, the boy scrunches his nose in distaste.

Yeosang finds it strange that there are no video footage to accompany the news — when the broadcast started, he expected a colorful, rich coverage of the so—called emergency situation, but after the news anchor finishes her speech, the screen cuts back to the anime he was watching beforehand. There are no photos, no videos, nothing to prove people are actually breaking in. Yeosang has no reason to doubt the news or the government, but if things are critical, well… The least they could do is _show_ how critical they are.

Not in the mood to watch anything anymore, the boy turns off the screener and gets up from his bed. The only other person with him right now is his father, who probably watched the broadcast in the living room. Yeosang grabs a cup of orange juice in the kitchen and goes to talk to his old man, sitting by his side on the couch.

“Do you believe it?” he asks.

“Believe in what?” his father arches an eyebrow. “The news?”

Yeosang just shrugs, taking a sip of his juice. “They didn’t even show any videos, or even photos. Technically, we don’t know if people are actually breaking in.”

“We don’t know if they aren’t, either.” the older man turns to his son. “Listen, son, as much as I’m glad you grew up with a sense of critics and doesn’t believe in everything people tell you, you don’t need to doubt _everything_. They probably didn’t show footage because they don’t want people freaking out any further.”

Yeosang sighs, defeated. His dad does make a good point.

“You’re probably right.” the boy says. “I still think it’s weird, though. Not the lack of proof, just… The whole thing. Why would the Wastelands citizens attack now? Nova Iris has been here for almost a century. Why now?”

The older man just shrugs. “Something might have sparked it.”

Yeosang gets the concrete answer for that two days later. There’s another broadcast, and this time he gets to watch it with both his father and brother — they’re watching a show together in the living room when an exciting action scene cuts to the apprehensive face of the news anchor.

“Another one?” his brother asks. “What is it, this time?”

As the news anchor starts talking, a picture does show up on the screen — a masked person, barely identifiable, but with an air of mystery and mayhem to them that’ll certainly bring aggravation to a good portion of the watchers. Not to Yeosang, though — he knows better than to be frightened by a photo of someone in a costume.

_“He’s been referred to as The King”_ , the woman on the screen says. _“And is confirmed to be the leader of the group of Wasteland rebels that have been breaking into Nova Iris.”_

“Oh, so now we have a bad guy.” Yeosang’s father comments. “Does he really need to look so… Cartoony?”

The other two in the room scoff at their dad’s words, silently agreeing that yes, the whole broadcast seemed like something straight out of a generic superhero graphic novel. Again, they had no reason to doubt the attacks, but it was still looking a bit suspicious. Of course, Wasteland people were angry — Yeosang believed they had all the right to — and Nova Iris’ government has always been truthful and transparent to the citizens, so really, the boy knows they aren’t lying. He knows that something is, indeed, happening. 

He’s just a little cryptic of everything, that’s all. His dad raised a thinker, not a simple follower.

The broadcast is not over, though. The news anchor is now on a small square on the corner of the big screen, which has been taken over by a clip of the Governor, looking frantic in his office chair. The man addresses all viewers — a call for help.

_“We’re looking for a volunteer.”_ the man says, hands folded on top of his desk. _“The government and the military forces, as well with outside allies of our land, have came up with a plan to stop the Wasteland attacks from happening. However, for this plan to work perfectly, we need a person who can blend in with others; in clearer words, a regular citizen. We’re looking for someone who volunteers willingly, out of their own bravery and who genuinely wants to help retrieve the wellbeing of the citizens of Nova Iris, that we’ve worked so hard to build. We need a hero. If you’re interested in volunteering, come by the main building of Iris Square until Tuesday, by the 18th hour of the day. We’re looking forward to see you.”_

The broadcast ends after the Governor is done, and Yeosang is left stunned.

Do they want civilians to embark on a mission for them? To do the military’s job? There _must_ be an explanation for that, of course, something about the plan mentioned in the broadcast, but it’s still an icky invitation. Knowing Nova Iris’ demographics, Yeosang can already tell they won’t be getting many volunteers. A good portion of the citizens are elders and children, and there’s a fair share of mothers and fathers that’ll certainly refuse to leave their homes for the sake of a heroic mission they know next to nothing about.

Surely, the Governor must have a backup plan in case no one volunteers. This seems to be quite the emergency case, so they must have thought of a second way out of it. Right?

Well, Yeosang’s brother doesn’t seem like he wants to find out, because as soon as the broadcast is over, he blurts out: 

“I’ll go.”

Yeosang turns to face him so fast he almost gets whiplash. “Really?”

The older nods. “I don’t think anyone else will. It seems like they… Really need someone.”

“And you’ll go just because no one else is going?” their dad inquires. “If anything, that’s a reason to avoid it.”

“Well, _someone_ needs to do the right thing.” 

Yeosang guesses that’s true, although he’d much rather this _someone_ isn’t his brother, one of the only two people he has left. But then he takes a look at the man beside him. His brother is not too much older than him, being 24 years old while Yeosang is almost completing 20. He’s been one of Yeosang’s greatest role models since forever — kind, selfless, strong, clever, talented, capable at pretty much anything he tried his hand at. With a deterred sigh, Yeosang comes to a conclusion.

If Nova Iris needs a hero so much, then there’s no one else better for this job than his brother.

The man himself seems pretty resolute in his decision, so the younger boy doesn’t have the guts to advise him otherwise. As much as part of him thinks no one apart from his brother should go, part of him also wishes someone else went in his place. He doesn’t particularly have any friends — the only people he has in his life are his father and brother, so it’s understandable that he doesn’t want any of them to risk themselves in any way.

And boy, is this mission a risk. It’s pretty much the definition of risk.

But Yeosang’s brother looks determined. And it’d be heartless of the boy to take, from one of the two people he loves the most, something he seems to really want to do, whatever his reasons are. So Yeosang keeps quiet, and promises to show support when and if needed.

Fate, however, is quite cruel.

Just the next day, Yeosang’s brother goes out with some friends. It’s a weekend, so they, as well as many other young citizens, stay out pretty late. This particular group of friends has always been adamant on electing a designated driver every time they went out, and the sober one of the day ended up being Yeosang’s brother.

Oh, if every friend group followed the “don’t drink and drive” rule.

On the road, a car, definitely on the hands of a drunkard, slammed into their car, shoving them off the road and into a tree. Thankfully, everyone got out alive and with no major injuries, except for — you guessed it — the driver.

When Yeosang visited his brother in the hospital, the doctor’s words were pretty clear. The car door right next to him was smashed, pressing right into his leg; he’d be fine, but there was no way he’d heal in time for the mission.

His brother doesn’t seem as devastated as Yeosang though he’d be when the news are passed to him, but the boy knows his pride is hurt. He wanted to go on the mission, and now he can’t anymore — it feels like failure, and of the worst kind, in which no one really is to blame, so no one can repair it. He’s resigned, but Yeosang sees a twinge of hurt in his eyes — not related at all to the physical pain he probably also feels in his leg.

That night, as he gets ready to sleep in the highly uncomfortable chairs in one of the hospital corridors, Yeosang makes a decision.

He’ll volunteer in his brother’s place.

If this city needs a hero so damn badly, then fine, he’ll be it.

It’s not, by all means, an easy decision. Yeosang can’t fight, he’s as shy as they come, can’t run without losing his breath in a matter of seconds — the only things he really has in his favor are his flexibility, his quick wit and innocent smile. So, if the Governor’s plan involves brute force, he knows he’ll most likely fail. But a physically weak volunteer is still better than no volunteer at all, and Yeosang supposes they’ll take that into account.

If not, than at least he tried. Deep down, however, the boy kind of wants them to approve of him. He _wants_ to go on this mission. It might be pointless, it might be a journey towards failure, he might even get hurt in the process, but something about the way his brother looked sad in that hospital bed for not being able to go made Yeosang’s guts twist. 

Nova Iris’ short—staffed military could probably defend itself without Yeosang’s help, if he didn’t volunteer. But his decision isn’t solely based on the safety of the city — it’s a matter of pride.

Fate took from his brother something he wanted, an opportunity to be a hero, something he was willing to fight for, out of the goodness in his heart. So Yeosang is going to bring it back to him, with his own hands. He’s going to make his family proud.

And that’s how a hero is created.

No sense of heroism could’ve made Yeosang volunteer to save Nova Iris, but his sense of family does the trick. He’s going to be the brave, kind, mighty hero his brother wanted to be, but couldn’t — and that’s all the motivation he needs to keep going until the end of his future journey.

  
  
  


The day after, right in the morning when he sees his brother is awake and looking better than the last day, Yeosang tells him about his decision.

“You don’t have to do that because of me.” Is what he says.

“I’m doing this because of _me_ .” Yeosang explains. “It hurts _me_ to see you upset about not being able to go.”

“That’s a pretty decisive move, Yeosang. If you volunteer, you’ll _have_ to go.”

“I know. I considered it. I’m not backing down from my decision.”

His brother sighs. “I wonder if you picked up that stubbornness from me or from dad.”

“I’m pretty sure it runs in the family, so I guess both.” Yeosang chuckles. “I’ll be okay. It’s not like I’m going there blindly — the Governor has a plan and he’ll totally have, like, backup soldiers looking out from here in case I get hurt.”

“They better. I don’t want anything happening to you.”

“Don’t worry, things will be fine. If it was a life—threatening journey, they wouldn’t ask for a regular citizen to volunteer.”

“I hope you’re right, Yeo.” his brother says with a somber face. Then, he brings his hands behind his neck and unlatches the silver necklace he always wears — his lucky necklace. He hands it to Yeosang. “Here. I won’t need it anytime soon, so take it with you. It has always brought me luck, it won’t let you down.”

With admittedly shaking hands, Yeosang takes the necklace and puts it on, the unfamiliar weight settling around his neck like a protection charm. It’s an honor, and an anchor, to be carrying with him something that belongs to his brother — he supposes it will be a good reminder of the motivation behind his journey, as well as a piece of home to hold onto whenever he ends up missing his family. He thanks his brother silently, with a meaningful smile, to which the older responds with a nod.

“You take care out there.” he says. “And come back soon.”

“I will.”

And, to be honest, both of them know it’s more or less an empty promise, since there’s no way to know how long it’ll take to complete the Governor’s plan. But neither of the brothers bring it up. It’s easier to part with a false sense of certainty, with only hope holding that promise up.

Yeosang holds onto his brother’s necklace as he closes the door to the hospital room.

  
  
  


Two days later finds Yeosang in front of the Governor, wringing his hands in his lap out of nervousness, listening to the plan that would keep Nova Iris safe.

They don’t disclose much to him, which is strange. The Governor, along with the two military officers that flank him behind his desk, tell Yeosang that his mission is quite simple — go to a few specific locations, find a panel with three buttons and press the middle one. He’s told that he’ll be provided clothing and supplies, as well as a ride to the Wastelands on a disguised vehicle. 

When Yeosang asks what pressing the button does, he gets no concrete answer — one of the military guys tells him nothing happens during the moment, so he can rest assured about his safety. He goes as far as explaining that the buttons only work once they have all been pressed, but doesn’t say _what_ exactly they do. Yeosang can recognize a turn down when he hears one, so he resigns and stops asking. 

It’s not really surprising to conclude, after that lack of details, that all they need is a pon because they’re too scared to actually cross the fence and roam the Wastelands.

So much for heroism.

Yeosang can’t back away now, and he still holds onto the hope that he’s doing a good thing with all this, so he just nods through the whole explanation. The Governor tells him they won’t keep a tracker on him or anything of the sorts, to assure his freedom and privacy, but they hand him a device for communication in case he feels in danger or if he needs to report something. The bitter side of Yeosang’s brain grumbles that it’s the least they can do, and right now he’s inclined to agree.

The boy keeps a neutral expression throughout the whole exchange, since he doesn’t want his particular distaste of his position on the plan to show — it’s not his place to complain, after all, he volunteered. Besides, Yeosang is not unhappy. He has a task, he signed up for it, and he’ll do it. If there are any objections from him, he’ll have to suck it up anyway, so.

The Governor is bold enough to give him a pat on the back after their meeting ends, to which Yeosang stifles a grimace.

One week later, he boards a hover car that takes him to the Wastelands. 

  
  


* * *

If Yeosang needed to describe The Wastelands in one word, it’d be _dead_. As much as there are people walking around on the streets — not many, but still — he’s still unable to see the place as anything akin to lively. The sky looks darker, though it makes no sense since both The Wastelands and Nova Iris are under the same sky. The people that pass by him look either apathetic or angry, and Yeosang feels glad he’s small and doesn’t look threatening, because he’s sure he would probably get into unwanted trouble if he did. Thankfully, no one seems to mind him, a sign that they had done a good job disguising him to blend in with the Wastelands citizens.

He has a list of the places he needs to go to execute the plan, along with a small map — both written out on paper, again, in order not to showcase him as someone who has access to smarter technology. Yeosang doesn’t mind the lack of screeners and datapads at all, he concludes as he unfolds the list and looks at the directions he has to follow for the first item.

He had been dropped close to the destination, so it’s within walking distance. Logically, Yeosang knows he’s been sent with too much responsibility in opposition to too little information about what his actions were going to result in. He’s only been told to check out the items on the list in the right order, then return. He has no idea what’s going to happen after he succeeds — and, to be honest, that lack of knowledge doesn’t sit right with him at all.

Yeosang is snapped out of his musings by an amused and slightly high—pitched voice.

“You’re not from here, are you?”

He looks at the source of the voice, finding out it belongs to a boy, probably around his age, with dark hair, earrings, a boyish smile and a jacket that looks too big on him. The boy is sitting on the roof of an abandoned car — really, how had Yeosang _not_ seen him in such an unusual position? — with one leg crossed under him and the other dangling from the edge. He’s wearing fingerless gloves that show a couple of light scratches on his fingers, matching the ones on his nose bridge and cheekbone. To finish the look, there’s dirt clinging to his skin in some specific spots — chin, the side of his neck, and forehead.

Yeosang remembers he actually has to answer, and tries to dodge the question. “Pardon?”

“I said”, the boy jumps down from the roof of the car and stops in front of Yeosang. They’re almost the same height. “You’re not from here. Where are you from?”

“I’m from… Somewhere else. Far away.” is what Yeosang settles for answering. It’s not by all means a lie — Nova Iris is not exactly closeby.

“Ah, you’re not telling me.” the boy clicks his tongue, though it doesn’t sound disapproving. “You’re right — I’m a stranger. You shouldn’t go telling shit to everyone. Can I get your name, though? I’m Wooyoung.” he extends a hand.

Shrugging internally as he concludes the guy probably won’t cause him any harm, Yeosang shakes his hand. “I’m Yeosang.”

“Nice to meet you. Can you tell me what you are doing in this hellhole, or is that also too classified to tell someone you’re only on first name basis with?”

Yeosang fights his instinct to chuckle at the other’s words. Wooyoung surely has a sharp tongue and a peculiar way with words, probably important traits to have when you live in a place like The Wastelands. Yeosang likes that, when he’s talking to someone. A person who can match him in a conversation, that’s something he values.

Because of that, he struggles to find an answer that satisfies the other’s question without spilling that he’s here on Nova Iris’ behalf.

“What?” Wooyoung asks impatiently, then cracks a smile. “Don’t tell me you’re here on vacation.”

“I’m exploring.” Yeosang finally says. It’s a half—truth — he’s here on a mission, of course, but with the little information he has on said mission, he might as well be exploring for fun.

“Ah, an adventurer. That’s cool. I hope you know what you’re dealing with, though.” Wooyoung gestures vaguely at their surroundings.

“Come on, it can’t be that bad.”

“Well, I don’t know what you’d consider _bad_.” he leans against the car. “I was born and raised here, so for me anything’s game, you know. It’s normal. But I can guarantee this place is unlike everything you’ve ever seen. We rarely get outsiders like you, but when we do, they usually cut their trips short.” he smiles again, teasingly. “Not that I’m trying to scare you off, or anything. Just saying how it is.”

“I see.” Yeosang says, carefully. “I plan on staying, so. I’m sure, no matter what I find here, it won’t be bad enough to send me back.”

Wooyoung then steps closer, narrowing his eyes at Yeosang, mirthful smile never leaving his face. “You’re determined, I like that! I like that very much. It’s not a common trait to have around here, it’s refreshing to see it. Oh, is that your bucket list?” he points to Yeosang’s hand that’s still holding his list. “Is that why you’re so dead set on not leaving sooner?”

“Yeah… Kind of.”

Yeosang wonders if Wooyoung ever stops talking. It’s not particularly bad, he’s glad it fills the eerie silence of the city, but still. How does he breathe?

“Can I see it?”

Figuring there’s no harm in letting Wooyoung see it, because he won’t be able to tell something is up with the random locations, Yeosang nods and hands the list to him. He reads through it, sometimes raising an eyebrow in consideration or letting out an “oh”.

“Sounds fun.” Wooyoung hands him the list back. “Or, at least, the closest to fun you can get around here. I can see why some places are listed there. You sure are in for _some_ adventures.”

“Ah, that’s good to hear.” Yeosang forces out a smile, not really sure how to react or how to lie to the boy in front of him. “What’s a journey without adventure, right?”

The other boy pats him on the shoulder. “That’s the spirit. Say, do you have a vehicle?”

Yeosang furrows his brows, confused. “Why do you ask?”

“Your little map is cute, but it just tells you where to go. The Wastelands are big, there’s no way you’re making this whole journey on foot. I hope you have, like, at least a hoverbike hidden somewhere.”

He doesn’t.

“I don’t.” he admits.

Wooyoung clicks his tongue again, and this time there’s distate in his actions. “Well, then, you better find something, or your journey will be cut short against your own will.”

“How do I find something? Do you recommend somewhere?”

There’s a glint to Wooyoung’s eye that compliments the mischievous smile that takes over his face. 

“Yeah, I know a place.”

  
  
  


Wooyoung takes him to some sort of warehouse, and for a moment Yeosang wonders if he’s walking right into trouble. Upon closer look, however, he can see the inside of the building from its open gates, and the sight of what seems to be multiple old vehicles piled together tranquilizes him. After they enter, Yeosang can confirm they’re in an indoors junkyard, if that’s possible — the poorly lit warehouse is filled with vehicles, either whole and seemingly functional or missing parts and looking rusty. Wooyoung leads him through multiple corridors of junk as if he’s used to it, and maybe he is, because the next thing he does is call someone’s name, yelling it at the back of the warehouse.

“Seonghwa! You in there? I know you’re always holed up in here, where are you?”

“In the back!” a deeper voice answers. 

“Come on!” Wooyoung grins and grabs Yeosang’s wrist to drag him further into the maze of vehicles.

After a few steps they approach a figure, a lone human in the sea of inanimate machines. The person is crouched beside what looks like a very old, very obsolete hovercar — Yeosang is by no means familiarized with automobile chronology, but this might be one of the first hovercars to ever be launched in the market. An old gem, really.

Hearing their arrival, the person turns their head to look at the newcomers.

“Hi, Wooyoung.” noticing Yeosang, they add: “And… Friend?”

“Hi, Hwa.” Wooyoung greets back. “I brought you a client. Seonghwa, meet Yeosang. Yeosang, meet Seonghwa. He’s an old friend of mine, kinda runs this junkyard warehouse. Fascinated by everything that’s old and rusty, much like himself.”

At the sudden insult, Seonghwa promptly throws a dirty rag directly at Wooyoung’s face. He gets up, taking off his dirty work gloves and setting them aside, and Yeosang can get a better look at him now.

Style—wise, Seonghwa is dressed similarly to Wooyoung — darker colors and loose clothes. He’s wearing brown cargo pants and a black sleeveless top, with heavy—looking boots that look very worn out. A pair of goggles sit atop of his black hair and, just like Wooyoung’s skin has some dirt clinging to it here and there, this man is the same, but with grease instead. Overall, Seonghwa looks like the classic mechanic boy depicted in old movies, except for — Yeosang takes notice of it now — the delicate, almost dainty silver chain surrounding his neck and resting on his collarbones. Unlike the rest of Seonghwa’s appearance, the chain and the tiny crescent—shaped charm dangling from it look immaculate, like it’s polished every day.

It’s quite odd. Not Yeosang’s business, of course, but it’s odd.

Seonghwa extends a hand for Yeosang to shake. “Nice to meet you.” he says with a friendly smile. “How can I help you?”

“He needs a vehicle.” Wooyoung butts in. “He’s an explorer.”

“Not many beautiful things to explore around here, I’m afraid.” Seonghwa chuckles lifelessly.

“That’s what Wooyoung told me.” Yeosang says. “I’m not really looking for beautiful things. I just want to roam around. He said I couldn’t do it on foot.”

“Well, he’s right, you most definitely can’t. The Wastelands are vast, you’ll need a vehicle if you want to go some distances. What kind are you looking for?”

“Uh, I don’t know…” Yeosang drifts off. He really _doesn’t_ understand a single thing about vehicles. “Something fast?”

Seonghwa laughs. “That narrows down our choices. Most of the things here are too old to be fast. Are you familiar with any kind of vehicle? Something you have at home, for example.”

Actually, there is _one_ thing. “I have a hoverskate back home. It’s the only thing I know how to operate well.”

“Oh, that’s nice.” the other says, but his expression doesn’t light up. “Unfortunately, not only I don’t have any boards here, but it would also be slower for you to skate from destination to destination. Skates are nice if you want to move around neighbourhoods, the best, actually, but for explorations? No can do.” he shakes his head. “I suppose you can’t drive a hovercar?”

Yeosang almost laughs at his face at the ridiculous idea. “No, I can’t. My dad has one, but he never taught me how to drive.”

“Then, all I have left are hoverbikes. They’re fast, can carry two people, three if you’re feeling risky, and they’re not that hard to pilot.” Seonghwa lifts an eyebrow. “Would you like one?”

That last sentence makes Yeosang gasp. “Wait, just like that? You’re _giving_ me a bike?”

“Yeah, this place is kind of a free—for—all.” Wooyoung shrugs, entering the conversation. “There aren’t really any law enforcers in The Wastelands, so if you can get the engine to ignite and get out before Seonghwa catches you, there’s nothing he can do to stop you.”

“ _Stop_ calling my shop a free—for—all.” Seonghwa reprimands, hitting the boy’s shoulder with the same rag he had thrown at his face. “I mean, stealing _does_ happen, but it’s not standard, and I’m not giving you a bike for free. I’m renting it to you, and you’re paying. Do you have any sort of currency with you?”

Yeosang, as a matter of fact, does. The Governor, knowing that Nova Iris’ digital money wouldn’t work on The Wastelands and, worse, would give away Yeosang’s identity, had sent with him a pouch of credits, an alternative currency that works worldwide. The boy digs inside his bag for the pouch.

“How much?” he asks. “And when do i need to return the bike?”

“Look, I’m gonna be nice. Since Wooyoung brought you here and, for some reason, I trust him, if you pay the fee and promise to bring the bike back in one piece, I’m not stipulating a deadline for you. Just… Don’t take months, okay? And if you do, bring it back to me after 60 days so I can give it a check up before you go again. As for the price, let me see…”

Seonghwa dives behind a counter that Yeosang had failed to notice before and pops up again with an old tablet in hand, the screen still LED based and sporting a good amount of cracks on the surface. He hands it to Yeosang, showing him a sheet with the table of prices for different vehicles. After Yeosang pays, he hands him a keycard.

“This is yours, for now.” he says. “I’ll show you your bike.”

The bike in question is one of the newer ones in the shop — which doesn’t mean it’s _new_ , per se, only _less old_. It’s painted a deep blue, metallic, and it has two seats. The panel has outdated functions, and the single headlight in the front is cracked, signaling it doesn’t work, but the bike whirrs to life effortlessly after the keycard is inserted.

“Listen.” Seonghwa points at him, sounding stern. “This is one of the best bikes in my shop, and a personal favorite of mine. I repainted it and fixed the seats myself, that’s how much I love it. I’m renting you my _baby_ because I’m sensing you’re a good guy, but if you ever do so much as _scratch_ it—”

“I get it.” Yeosang lifts his hands in surrender. “I won’t cause your bike any harm.”

“Good. You stay out of harm too, alright? It’s dangerous out there, even more so for outsiders.”

“I’ll try. Thank you.” he says with a genuine smile. 

Then, it’s time to pilot the bike, get out of the warehouse and get to his mission. But here’s the thing: Yeosang has no idea how to pilot. He climbs into the first seat of the bike and hesitantly puts his hands on the guidons. He stares at the panel and tries to understand it, to no avail. Yeosang is fully aware of the probably judgemental gazes of the two guys watching him, and he ducks his head in shame.

“Oh my.” Wooyoung gasps. “You have no idea how to pilot a bike, do you?”

Yeosang sighs. “I don’t.”

“Then why did you ask for one, you idiot?” Seonghwa almost yells. For his soft spoken self, that’s saying a lot.

“Technically, I didn’t ask as much as you offered it to me.” Yeosang points out. “It was better than a _car_. I thought I could learn how to pilot it with practice.”

“You’d get yourself killed in a crash before you learned anything.” Seonghwa scolds, not unlike a frantic teacher with a stressful student. “Get down from the bike, get down, I’m already seeing flashes of possible disasters in my mind. Get down, I can’t let you pilot if you don’t know how to.”

“But I really need a vehicle.” Yeosang argues, hopping down from the hoverbike and turning it off. “Are you sure you don’t have a skate?”

“I really don’t. Those are rare.” the other sighs. “I’m sorry, Yeosang, but I really can’t let you pilot a bike. It’s for your own safety.”

“I can pilot for you.” a voice pipes up.

Both boys turn to Wooyoung, a questioning look on their faces.

“What?” he says, pointing at Seonghwa. “You know I can pilot a bike, better than you, even.”

“Of course I know that, I taught you. I just find it strange that you’d offer, that’s all.”

“You wound me, Hwa.” Wooyoung feigns heartbreak, clutching his chest. “You’re making it seem like I’m not a selfless, caring friend.”

“On the contrary. But you _are_ a free spirit, and you’re practically offering to be Yeosang’s chauffeur.”

Yeosang snorts at that. “He’s kind of right. You’ve seen my bucket list, I’m going to visit a lot of places. I can’t ask you to take me everywhere.”

“I don’t see why not.” Wooyoung says. “It’s an opportunity to travel, if you don’t mind my company. I promise I’m not annoying.”

“Stop lying, Wooyoung.” Seonghwa deadpans.

“Shut up, I annoy you because I’ve known you for years. Yeosang is free of that treatment for now.” he turns to Yeosang. “So?”

Rationally, Yeosang knows he shouldn’t accept it. Mostly because Wooyoung is a stranger, as nice as he is. A little devil on his shoulder tells him that this is kind of his only choice, besides doing his journey on foot.

Fuck it — he’s been in danger ever since he set foot on The Wastelands.

“Alright, you can come with me and be my pilot.”

“Cool!” Wooyoung pats his shoulder. “I won’t let you down. I’ll be the best exploring partner ever.”

“Good luck.” Seonghwa says, observing their exchange with a smile. “Wooyoung is a handful.”

“We’ll be okay.” Wooyoung waves off his friend’s remark.

“I hope so. Travel safe, you two. And, Woo, make sure to get in contact whenever you can, alright? With me, or Joong, or any of the others.”

“I will. Don’t worry.”

The boys wave their goodbyes to Seonghwa and take the bike to the outside of the warehouse. Wooyoung enters the keycard on the panel and hops on the first seat like a pro, smiling and gesturing for Yeosang to join him.

“So, where was our first destination again?”

  
  
  


The first destination listed on Yeosang’s list is not that far from where they were, but the way there has enough turns and slopes that Yeosang is glad they have a vehicle so they don’t get too tired. Wooyoung tries to make conversation while piloting the bike and, while Yeosang appreciates the niceness, he’d rather have the other boy keep his eyes on the road.

When they arrive at their destination, Yeosang is kind of confused to see an abandoned corporate building. It matches the description on his list, but he’s not sure if he’s going to find a panel with buttons in that old, decrepit place — and, if the panel _is_ indeed there, how is he going to find it between so many floors and corridors.

Wooyoung lets out a whistle at the sight of the building. “Wow. I’ve heard of this place, but never visited. You know, there’s this urban legend or whatever that this place had, like, an underground maze of secret tunnels where people got up to all sorts of shady stuff, and the corporation was just a cover up for that.” he turns to Yeosang with a curious grin. “Is there where we’re heading? The underground tunnels?”

Yeosang takes another look at his list. There, beside the address and the name of the building, is indeed a small note between brackets that says “underground levels”. Huh. He should’ve noticed that before.

He quickly collects himself and tries his best to look like he totally knew where they were going from the get go. “Yeah.” he offers Wooyoung a smile that he hopes is not too strained.

The other boy hums, thoughtfully, as he parks the bike on the sidewalk and removes the keycard from the panel. “I wonder how we’re going to find a way to actually _get_ there.” he says, as they both get down from the vehicle. “I don’t think the elevator works anymore. And I wouldn’t like to try.”

“Maybe they have stairs?” Yeosang suggests. “Or a secret passage?”

“Let’s hope there are stairs that lead to the lower levels.”

  
  


There are no stairs leading to the lower levels.

As soon as they enter the abandoned building, after ignoring the “no trespassing” signs and crouching under the plank of wood poorly nailed to the entrance door’s frame, both boys look for the stairs, and they do find them behind a considerably heavy door. The thing is, they only take you upwards — ground floor is, apparently, level zero.

That already makes Yeosang get apprehensive, because there are so many other destinations he needs to cover to complete his mission, and he’s already facing trouble on the first one. He sighs.

Then, there’s an arm around his shoulders. “What, giving up already?” Wooyoung asks. “Don’t look so defeated. Let’s try to find another way to the tunnels.”

He hip checks Yeosang playfully and walks away, trying to find a secret passage or something. The latter, on the other hand, stays rooted to his spot for a couple of seconds, feeling the tip of his ears growing a little warmer than usual after that display of skinship. It doesn’t really mean anything other than unfamiliarity, though — Yeosang has never been one for physical contact unless they were pretty close with the person, and Wooyoung seems to be fond of it despite the level of closeness. 

Oh, well. If they’re going to be roaming The Wastelands together, Yeosang guesses he’ll have to get used to it or tell the other boy to tone it down. But that’s an issue for future—Yeosang — the one in the present already has a lot on his hands.

“Yeosang?” Wooyoung calls, and his head pops up from inside one of the many rooms of the ground floor. “You okay?”

“Yeah! I’m fine.” Yeosang replies, shaking himself out of his own thoughts. He starts to walk towards the other. “Did you find anything?”

“Not really. Just a lot of dust and spiderwebs.” Wooyoung winces. “I tried my luck with the bathroom, too, but… Yikes. I didn’t think an _abandoned_ bathroom would be that dirty, but… The more you know, right?”

“I guess.” the other shrugs. “What are our other options? The ground floor doesn’t have that many rooms. It’s mainly just the hall and this corridor.”

“Let’s just try all the rooms and look for something like a trapdoor or something. It can’t be that bad.”

It can _totally_ be that bad — and it is. After looking through all rooms, twice, they don’t find anything that could be a secret passage to the rumored underground tunnels.

“Do you think it was only a legend?” Wooyoung asks, a little gloomy. “Like, we’re looking for something that doesn’t exist?”

Well, Yeosang _knows_ it exists, because it’s listed on his paper, and the Governor wouldn’t send him to somewhere that doesn’t exist. But he can’t say that without blowing his cover, so he just shakes his head and tries to maintain a positive front.

“I’m sure we’re just forgetting to look somewhere.” he says. “There has to be a passage, we’re just not looking in the right places.”

“Let’s think.” Wooyoung touches his chin. “The legend says people got up to shady shit in the tunnels and used this building as a cover. What is a room that lots of different people can come out of without raising suspicion, beside the bathroom?”

It clicks. 

They both look at each other and say in unison, “Staff room.”

See, it’s not that they haven’t checked the staff room before, but now that it seems like the most plausible choice to hide a secret passage, they do it more earnestly. Unfortunately, the results stay the same: nothing.

Yeosang is about to throw the towel and report back to the Governor asking to be picked up and brought home when Wooyoung whistles to call his attention. He walks over to where the other boy is — in front of another door.

“We didn’t check this one last time.” he says.

“I did. It’s locked.” Yeosang tries to open it, forcing the handle three times, and it doesn’t budge. “See?”

Wooyoung’s eyes glisten with mischief and he smiles. “And don’t you think that’s suspicious? The passage must be behind it!”

“Does it matter? It’s locked anyway.”

“You’re such a pessimist, Yeosang. Do you, by any chance, have a hairpin I could borrow?”

Yeosang chuckles. “What, are you going to pick the lock?”

“Yeah.” Wooyoung says it like it’s obvious. Like he does it everyday before lunch.

“Are you serious? This is so last century. I’m surprised the doors even have locks.”

“You say that because you’re an outsider.” Wooyoung points out. “Things aren’t very prosperous around here — plenty of our stuff is still very analogical. This building specially, since it’s been shut down for who knows how many years. It’s pretty old. Now, do you have a hairpin? I can also make do with a needle, if it’s what you have.”

Now feeling guilty for imposing his admittedly privileged view of technology upon a boy who’s clearly had it worse on that aspect — and many others, honestly —, Yeosang doesn’t say anything and searches his backpack for something that could help Wooyoung. He doesn’t remember bringing needles — who even carries needles with them? — but his hair’s been getting quite long, so he’s actually started using hairpins back home. Maybe there are a few, lost between his other supplies and clothes.

After a lot of searching, Yeosang finds three lonely hairpins at the bottom of his medicine bag and holds them out proudly.

Wooyoung smiles broadly. “Bingo.”

He takes the pins from Yeosang’s hand and crouches down in front of the lock, getting to work. Yeosang can’t help but be amazed, because he looks like a pro at picking locks, every tiny movement of his hands done with purpose and intent. In a matter of seconds, the door is open and Wooyoung hands the hairpins back with a smug smile on his face.

“Do you do this, like frequently?” Yeosang asks.

The other boy feigns nonchalance and shrugs playfully. “Just a silly hobby of mine.”

Yeosang chuckles and opens the door, ready to be greeted with a tunnel, or stairs leading to a lower level, something that indicates they’re on the right path.

A simple stock room is what looks back at them.

“Oh, fuck off!” Wooyoung whines. “Really? I thought this would be it!”

“Let’s investigate.” Yeosang walks in. “There must be a hidden door, or something.”

The stock room looks just as abandoned as the rest of the building but, unlike the other rooms that were basically stripped bare of any content, this one is still pretty packed — it’s narrow, the shelves are filled with boxes, there’s a cupboard that’s also stuffed with items. Yeosang figures it’s because the room was probably locked as soon as the building was shut down, so trespassers and stealers didn’t get to probe in and take stuff.

Again, there seems to be no secret door or fake wall or anything. And, again, Yeosang considers giving up, but his eye catches on _something_. 

“Wooyoung, help me move this cupboard to the side.” he asks.

When they’re done moving it, it reveals a door — very narrow, kind of a tight fit for even one person. His eyes light up and he looks at his companion.

“Do you think this is it?”

“Please, they hid it behind a cupboard.” Wooyoung scoffs. “I think it has to be.” he gestures at the door. “Come on, Mr. Explorer, do the honors.”

Yeosang reaches for the handle and opens the door…

… Only to be met with a bunch of clothes in hangers.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” he deadpans.

“Okay, no, this is _definitely_ our secret passage.” Wooyoung says, indignant. “It _has_ to be. No one hides a fucking built—in closet behind a cupboard and locks the stock room door afterwards.” he takes a step forward. “I’m going in.”

And he does, sneaking between the mess of clothes. Yeosang has no option other than to follow him and hope he’s really onto something.

“Wooyoung, are you sure about that?”

“I mean, there’s this old movie in which a little girl enters a wardrobe and meets some magic kingdom on the other side.” his voice comes out muffled by the clothes. “I saw it when I was a kid and we still had rental stores for movies. This is basically the same thing as she did, right?”

“Not really.” Yeosang laughs.

“It totally is. Are you with me? I think I see the end of this… Whatever this is. Right ahead.”

Yeosang keeps following Wooyoung for a few more meters, dodging between clothes like they’re a forest, until they reach the end of the passage. He coughs a couple of times, because those clothes sure were old and locked up for a long time, meaning the smell of mold was pretty much surrounding him. After he recovers, he takes a look at what’s in front of them.

It’s pretty anticlimactic, to be honest — nothing but a small, empty, square hall, dimly lit and with grey walls. On the left of the room, however, it’s the confirmation that they’re on the light path.

A flight of stairs leading down.

Wooyoung elbows him on the arm. “That’s it.”

“Yeah.”

“Wanna go first?”

“You’re the courageous one, you go first.”

“You’re the explorer, though?”

God, is Yeosang starting to regret accepting this mission. “Out of curiosity, not bravery.”

“You’re the reason we’re here.” Wooyoung gives him a small nudge on the small of his back. “Do the honors. I’ll be right behind you.”

With a resigned sigh, Yeosang walks towards the stairs and starts to climb down the steps. There’s nothing extraordinary about it, as much as he’s skeptical of it — just a simple flight of stairs, ugly, made of concrete. They don’t take long to get to the bottom of the steps either, a new room, bigger than the previous one they were in, quickly coming to view.

Now, this one is awe—worthy. 

They’re inside a huge chamber that looks like it was carved into the inside of the earth — they’re surrounded by a rock surface, except for the floor, which is clear and smooth. In front of them, instead of the maze of tunnels described by the rumors, there are actual corridors, like a building would have. Here and there, on each corridor, there are doors — probably where the “shady stuff” happened when this secret chamber was still active.

Wooyoung lets out a whistle. “This is sick.”

Yeosang, on the other hand, is a bit exasperated as he recalls his mission: he has to find a panel with buttons in the middle of all those doors. A huge part of him wants to give up, but he tells himself giving up wouldn’t be too heroic of him. He’s here for a reason, and he’ll only go back to Nova Iris once he’s completed his mission.

So he gets to action.

He’s exploring on his own, since Wooyoung ran to one of the corridors first thing, curiosity getting the best of him. Yeosang chuckles at his companion’s apparent never—ending energy, just like a child would have. He’s not ready to admit it, but Wooyoung is a refreshing presence that balances out the pressure of Yeosang’s mission and the dullness of The Wastelands as a whole.

After who knows how many years of abandonment, the rooms behind the doors don’t resemble what they used to be anymore. You’d have to look closely and think a little to find out what used to happen in each room — and, honestly, Yeosang isn’t very interested. After catching a glimpse at a particularly horrifying chair in one of the rooms and a red divan in another, he’s happy with the blissful ignorance.

Wooyoung, however, seems to be the opposite — Yeosang can hear him merrily going in and out of multiple rooms and offering commentary on each one of them quite loudly.

“Wow, I think this one used to be some sort of casino!”

“What is this, an old sex dungeon?”

“Okay, whatever happened in here would be illegal. And we don’t even _have_ laws.”

That last one makes Yeosang laugh out loud and relieves a bit of the tension on his shoulders.

By sheer luck mercifully sent to him from somewhere upstairs, Yeosang finds the panel on the seventh room he tries — considering he’s still on the first corridor, it’s saying a lot. He’s quick to press the correct button and risk off the first location on his list. As expected, the button does nothing, not even a sound — must be newer technology than he’s used to seeing in the rest of The Wastelands, otherwise there would definitely be the whirr of an engine or something.

Feeling lighter now that he’s accomplished the first part (out of many others) of his mission, Yeosang runs to find Wooyoung and just explore mindlessly alongside him. He deserves it.

They spend a while just joking around and having as much fun as one can have while exploring an abandoned den of all things illegal. Wooyoung laughs every time Yeosang gets grossed out by the implications of what used to happen here and there, and dodges multiple punching attempts from the other boy — not that they would hit him in the first place.

After a considerable amount of time, the boys get tired and decide to go back upstairs and declare it a day, and a successful one at that. Yeosang is momentarily scared that one of the many doors they had opened to get to this secret passage would have closed by itself and locked them down there forever, but he soon finds out that he didn’t have to worry: everything is exactly how they had left it.

It’s just that when they’re leaving the building and approaching the bike that he hears Wooyoung’s stomach grumble and remembers that it’s been a good while since he ate something as well. Absentmindedly, he puts a hand on his tummy, and Wooyoung picks up on that.

“Hungry?”

“Yeah, kinda.” Yeosang waves off, not wanting to be a bother. “Don’t act like you’re not as well. We all heard that noise coming from your stomach.”

Wooyoung laughs. “I forgot about being hungry while we were in there. I was feeding on adventure and adrenaline.”

“Well, now you need to feed on something actually sustaining. And so do I.”

“I know, I know. Do you want to come grab a bite with me?”

Yeosang furrows his eyebrows. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah! I’m already driving you everywhere, bringing you along to eat dinner is no bother. It’ll be fun, even. You’re good company.” the other boy smiles at him.

Unannounced, Yeosang’s stomach does a _thing_ that has absolutely nothing to do with hunger. He promptly ignores it.

“Alright then.” he climbs on the hoverbike. “Let’s go.”

  
  
  
  


“Is this even hygienic?”

They’re sitting at a small diner that resembles vaguely the ones depicted in the old movies that Yeosang often ended up watching back home out of boredom. The tables are clean, not pristine, but clean enough, and the cutlery looks new and diligently washed — despite the poor lighting and the walls that look like they need a repainting, the place is not that bad. What prompts Yeosang’s comment about hygiene is the way Wooyoung is eating his burger and fries without a napkin.

“Of course it’s hygienic.” the boy responds between bites. “I washed my hands. We saw that guy making the burger, he was wearing plastic gloves. It’s fine”

“I still don’t see why you can’t use the napkin.” Yeosang argues.

“Napkins are a rare thing around here. Paper, in general. Along with other items with trees as a prime matter.” Wooyoung explains. “We don’t have many trees, or manufacturers, so simple things like napkins aren’t seen very often. We’re lucky this place even has them, but look.” he points to the napkin holder. “There’s only one. I’m leaving it for you.”

Oh, that makes sense, Yeosang thinks. And it’s also quite disheartening, to know that such a simple thing is considered rare around The Wastelands and no outside city offers any help. Then again, he’s disappointed, but not surprised. He already knew this place was the permanent target of others’ negligence, but it’s still bad to hear the consequences of that.

He lamely picks up the single napkin and mutters a “I’ll make good use of it” while waving it slightly and putting it back on the holder — he’s eating pasta right now, so he doesn’t need it yet. An awkward silence follows, both boys not knowing what to say to fill it.

It’s Wooyoung who breaks it, after taking a sip of his drink.

“So, where are you staying?”

“Huh?” Yeosang looks up from his plate.

“Where are you staying while you’re here? I’ll drive you there.”

Oh. That. “I’m not really staying anywhere.”

“What? What are you gonna do when night falls? Which is soon, by the way.”

“I don’t know. I didn’t think of that before.”

Wooyoung chuckles in disbelief. “You’re really something, aren’t you? Came here with your backpack and bucket list, no vehicle, no food, and now no place to stay?”

“Well… Yes?”

“Unbelievable. I don’t know whether to congratulate you for being so brave or smack you on the head for being so stupid.”

“You can do both.” Yeosang grins playfully. “I probably deserve it.”

“See if you can joke about it when you’re sleeping on the streets. Because there’s where you’re going if you don’t find a motel or something.” Wooyoung points one of his fries at him, looking concerned.

“Would that be so bad? I’ve survived until now, haven’t I?”

“Yeah, because I was with you.” Wooyoung says, then snaps his fingers as if he had realized something. “That’s it! You can stay at my place while you’re here.”

“What? No!” Yeosang protests. “I mean, that would be imposing. I appreciate the offer, but you don’t have to do that. It’s fine. I’ll find a place.”

“Nonsense. There’s no need to trouble yourself with finding somewhere decent when you can stay at my house. I promise it’s not that bad.” 

“That’s not the problem.” Yeosang sighs. “Look, I’m already being a bother. You’re driving me around because I can’t pilot a hoverbike, you’re basically being my survival guide and now I’ll also be staying at your house? There’s only so much of a nuisance one can be, and I’ve already surpassed that level. Besides, you don’t even know me. You shouldn’t go around inviting strangers to live with you for a few days.”

“Yeosang.” the other boy says, looking at him intensely. “All of those things, I did because I wanted to. You didn’t ask or force me to be your pilot, to help you around, to take you to dinner or to let you stay at my house. I offered all of those things because I _wanted_ to. You’re free to decline my offer for whatever reason, but you’re not being a nuisance for me. I told you, I enjoy your company.” he smiles and takes a bite of a french fry. “As for being a stranger, I’m not scared. If you wanted to kill me, you would’ve done it already.”

“Is that the only thing that you’re concerned about? Being killed?”

“Well, yeah. You’re the one who’s lost in a big, abandoned city with only a bucket list and a little map. The only threat you could possibly pose right now is being secretly a murderer. Which you’re not, because if you were you would’ve gotten the job done already.”

Yeosang chuckles. “I suppose that’s true.”

“Besides, we’ve already broken into private property together. You saw me pick a lock.” Wooyoung smiles. “We’re practically best friends.”

“I think we’re on our way to that, yeah.”

“So, are you staying at mine?”

“Do I have a choice?”

Wooyoung makes a scandalized face. “Of course you do! What do you think I am, a dictator? I’d love your company, but you’re free to choose whatever you want to do.”

“I was just joking.” Yeosang smiles. “I’ll stay at yours for the time being. It’s considerably easier.” He pauses, and then adds. “And probably safer.”

“You got that one right.” the other boy takes a sip of his drink, now nearly empty. “I can assure no one will harm you while you’re staying with me. My door has a lock, and there’s only one window, so really, way safer than anywhere else.”

The way he smiles is lighthearted, like he just told a joke (the window thing was probably an attempt at that), but Yeosang takes the boy’s words to heart — and feels oddly comforted by them. Wooyoung is very caring and genuine, if the way he behaved for the past hours they spent together is anything to go by. He inspires trust, and Yeosang is glad to have a friend (ish?) in him.

Wooyoung’s phone — an old smartphone; Yeosang barely recognizes it when he sees it — buzzes loudly, interrupting his musings. The boy types fast, and it’s quite an impressive feat to get any words out so quickly on such a tiny keyboard. But, Yeosang supposes, he’s had practice.

“It’s Seonghwa.” Wooyoung says, regarding the message. “He asked if I’m alive and if I’m still with you.” he grins mirthfully. “I considered ghosting him for a few minutes just to rile him up, but I think the old man deserves a break every once in a while. So I replied quickly.”

“Is he really that much older than you?” Yeosang asks, curious. “Doesn’t look like it.”

“Nah, he’s only three years older than me. But I like to tease him, so. Poking at his age is fun.”

“You two seem close.” he comments.

“We grew up together.” Wooyoung smiles, fondly. “We’re like brothers. And with time, he became like the helicopter parent I never had.”

Yeosang frowns. “Are your parents…?” he doesn’t have the stomach to finish it. It hits close to home, and it feels weird to delve into such a sensitive topic right now.

“Are they what?” the other boy blinks, oblivious to the implications. Then, his mouth forms an “O” in realization before he shakes his head with a smile. “No, no, they’re fine. They’re just not around very much, it’s all. And they were never the helicopter type. That’s why I say Seonghwa is the helicopter parent I never had. I have parents, just— Chill parents.”

Yeosang giggles quietly at his awkwardness in explaining. “I get it. Don’t worry.” he shoots Wooyoung a close lipped smile. “It’s nice that your parents are chill. And, correct me if I’m wrong, but I get the feeling that Seonghwa enjoys being a nagging older brother to you.”

Wooyoung scoffs. “You have no idea.”

They fall into easy conversation after that, sharing stories and facts about their lives while finishing their food. Wooyoung doesn’t let Yeosang cover the bill and pays for their dinner with his own pocket money. Granted, it’s not much — everything in The Wastelands seems to be incredibly cheap, no matter what — but Yeosang still feels iffy about someone spending money on him unnecessarily. Wooyoung just waves him off with countless affirmations that it was “no big deal”. Needless to say, he doesn’t buy it, but he lets it go.

Yeosang tries to pay attention to their surroundings during the bike ride to Wooyoung’s place, but it’s discouraging. It’s nothing he hasn’t seen yet — dull, lifeless, sometimes dusty. He thinks the sensation of being here could compare to the sensation of biting into a very old, very salty graham cracker — he can’t really explain how. Maybe it’s the polluted air and the sun washing over unrelentingly, since there are no trees to provide shade or fresh oxygen.

He lets his mind wander to other things, silly things, to ignore the weird feeling that comes with watching the scenery. Like the pasta he had just eaten (which was surprisingly good), the wind making Wooyoung’s jacket blow up and look like an inflatable pillow, things like that. Sooner than he thinks, they’re approaching a neighbourhood that resembles a residential area. 

It’s nothing like the suburbs and apartment complexes Yeosang is used to seeing in Nova Iris, of course it’s not, he shouldn’t even be considering that. They’re getting closer to a small three—story building with dirty, gray walls considerably covered in graffiti — messy scrawls done in pitch black or neon paint, not the pretty drawings Yeosang has seen on the internet. It looks liveable, if a little ugly — but then again so was everything else in The Wastelands, save from a couple of things.

He glances at Wooyoung.

“Do you live here?”

“Yup!” the boy says, as he slows down the bike. “It’s not much, but it’s home.”

When they get to the actual apartment, Yeosang gets what he means. It’s small — basically a bedroom with a small kitchen and a bathroom attached to either side — but it looks well—lived in. There are no valuable items whatsoever, and a very little amount of furniture but, scattered around the cramped space, perched on shelves, are small trinkets that very much scream Wooyoung’s name. They look like things randomly picked up on the street, or collected from somewhere, or gifted. One of them is a cute replica of a hoverbike, another one is a plastic dog toy with a bobbing head. There’s even one hanging from the ceiling, shaped like a comet.

It’s endearing, and Yeosang can easily tell all of them hold some type of meaning.

Wooyoung closes the door behind them. “Well, here we are. Welcome to my humble abode. Emphasis on ‘humble’.” he chuckles. “You can leave your shoes by the door if you want, please make yourself at home. Do you want to take a shower? Do you have spare clothes?”

“You’re starting to sound like a helicopter.” Yeosang hides a chuckle behind the tips of his fingers, recalling their previous conversation over dinner. “I’m fine, you can shower first. And I brought some clothes with me, don’t worry.”

“Well, then, if you don’t mind. You can just…” the other boy gestures vaguely at his room. “I don’t know, do whatever while you wait for your turn. I won’t be long.”

Yeosang nods, and busies himself with looking around. He studies the little trinkets he noticed earlier, and actually takes a look at Wooyoung’s bed. It’s a bunk bed, something he’s not used to seeing at all, but that’s not the weird part — the bottom bunk is missing. Rather than only missing a mattress, it’s missing everything. There are only some broken remains where the bedframe should be, so the bunk bed is, essentially, just the top bunk and the stepladder leading to it.

That peculiar setting puzzles Yeosang’s brain — he’s not seeing any other place for him to sleep on, so he’s curious. He makes a mental note to ask Wooyoung about it.

Later, after they’ve both showered, they sit on the floor, Wooyoung’s back resting against the broken bedframe and Yeosang’s back to the wall on his left. He’s carefully cradling the hoverbike replica on his hands, after asking permission to take a closer look. Wooyoung apologizes for the lack of things to do, but Yeosang brushes it off — he’s had enough thrill and fun for a day, and he’s happy to just sit back, relax, and do nothing.

“I have a question.” he speaks up after a few moments.

“Shoot.”

“You only have one bed in here.” Yeosang lifts a playful eyebrow. “Are we going to share?”

Wooyoung snorts. “You’re learning how to joke. But no, I have a futon somewhere in here. You can take it, if you don’t mind sleeping on the floor. But if you want to take the bed and I take the futon, it’s fine too.”

“I don’t mind the floor. I’m already taking too much advantage of your kindness.”

“Please, you’re hardly taking _any_ advantage.” he scoffs at Yeosang’s words. “Just accept my hospitality.”

“Alright, I accept it.” Yeosang throws his hands up in defeat. “By the way, where did you _get_ that bed?”

The other boy shrugs. “Scavenging.”

“You’re joking.”

“I’m not! Look, in a place like The Wastelands, there’s, like, a myriad of abandoned shit. If someone throws something away, it’s only fair another person who could make use of it takes it. One man’s trash, another man’s treasure, all that.”

“I don’t see a broken bed as much of a treasure, but if you say so…”

“Of course it’s a treasure. It was free, and I don’t need two bunks anyway. I’m only one person, despite talking enough for two.”

Yeosang laughs, and there’s a pause before he asks again. “How did you bring it here, though? You live on the second floor.”

“Effort.” Wooyoung says. “And a little help from my friends.” 

“Very valid. Sorry for calling it trash.”

“It’s fine. You didn’t hurt its feelings.”

The other just shakes his head, unable to keep a tiny smile from his face. “Can I ask one more thing?”

“Sure.”

“What’s with all those trinkets?” he lifts the little hoverbike to illustrate his question.

“Ah.” Wooyoung’s eyes grow fond, and he looks at the small comet hanging from the ceiling. “There’s not much to them, really. It’s just something I like to do. Collecting, and stuff. Most of them are from the same sites I look for abandoned things to scavenge. Some are gifts.” he explains. “Seonghwa gave me the one you’re holding when I was about fifteen.”

“They’re all lovely.” Yeosang grins, running the pad of his pointer finger over the tiny seats on the mini—hoverbike. “I don’t know if this is weird to say, but it suits your personality. Collecting random things, all that. It’s odd, but it’s very you.”

“Yeah, I’ve been told I’m an oddball.” the other boy jokes. “But I know you meant it like a compliment. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Wooyoung then scoots a little closer. “Now, tell me about yourself, Yeosang. How old are you?”

“Nineteen.” Yeosang answers. “Almost twenty. Actually— What day is it?”

“Hmm, I think we’re in the beginning of June.”

“I turn twenty in two weeks, then.”

“Ooh, nice.” Wooyoung smiles. “If you haven’t gone back home by then, we’ll celebrate.”

“I’ll hold you to that.”

They end up turning their conversation into some sort of twenty questions game to get to know each other. Yeosang finds out more about Wooyoung’s friend circle, and in turn tells him snippets about his life back in Nova Iris. Nothing that could give out were he’s from, but he figures some childhood anecdotes or family stories can’t hurt. They talk, talk, talk, with an ease that really shouldn’t belong to people who met for the first time on that very day.

When it’s time to sleep, Wooyoung takes some time to find the futon, and he makes a mess while looking for it, but he manages.

That night, Yeosang falls asleep swiftly, mind eased from the pressure of his mission, chest light.

  
  


* * *

Falling into a resemblance of a routine after that shouldn’t be so easy, but it is. Yeosang’s days turn into a repetition of waking up, eating something, going to a location from his list, maybe two, and then relaxing. He believes he’s doing a good job.

Surprisingly enough, Wooyoung is there with him all the time. He’s always helping, exploring together, taking him to where he should go. Yeosang knew the other would help around, but he didn’t expect him to stick with him to that extent. It’s… Nice. Having Wooyoung around is nice.

He even starts to not mind the close contact during the bike rides. In fact, when he finds out holding onto Wooyoung by wrapping his arms around the boy’s middle is a more comfortable and stable way to keep his balance than holding onto the little railings on the side of the hoverbike, he starts to do only the former. Yeosang finds out Wooyoung is very squishy under all those jackets, and that he’s warm, too. 

Maybe… Just maybe, he’s going to miss this.

It’s one night, during dinner — they always seem to talk a lot during dinner — , that Wooyoung corners him. 

Figuratively speaking.

He puts down his fork, balancing it on his thigh — they’re eating at his house, sitting on the floor — and leans forward, an inquiring expression on his face.

“So, Yeosang.” he starts. “I hate to be that person, but there’s something you’re not telling me.”

_There’s a lot I’m not telling you._ , Yeosang thinks. _You have to be more specific_. He doesn’t say.

What he does say is a weak “What do you mean?” with his mouth half full.

“What I mean is that you’re hiding something that clearly affects me.” Wooyoung says. “Look, I’ve been accompanying you on your exploring trips for a few days now. There’s no way you think I haven’t noticed how you always seem to find some panel and press a button. I’m an idiot, but I’m not stupid.”

Right now, all that goes on Yeosang’s mind is an echo of “oh, shit”. 

“I’m… Curious?” he lies through his teeth. He _knows_ Wooyoung isn’t going to buy it, but he tries anyway. “And I think buttons are fun?”

“Yeosang.”

The other’s stern tone makes Yeosang look down at his plate.

Wooyoung sighs. “I’m not mad.”

“Yeah, right.”

“I’m really not.” he says, softly. “I just want to know what’s going on. I don’t have to know all aspects of your life because they don’t concern me, but this _does_. So, please. Just tell me.”

Well… There’s no use hiding it anymore, is it? Deep down, Yeosang is surprised he wasn’t found out on the second day — Wooyoung really is observant and intelligent. It’s no wonder he found out.

Yeosang lets out a deep breath. “It’s a mission.”

“A mission?”

“Yeah. I was sent here on a mission, to visit all those locations, find a panel and press a button. I don’t know what it does. But that’s what I was sent here to do.”

“That’s so fucking stupid.” Wooyoung deadpans. “You don’t know what it does and yet you’re still doing it? What kind of mission is that?”

“I don’t know, okay? I wasn’t told many things.” Yeosang’s voice dies down. “I wasn’t even given many things to maintain myself here, as you pointed out on the first day we met. I was only told that doing it would help my city and my people, so here I am.”

“Still, that’s—”

“Listen.” he interrupts. “My brother was supposed to be here instead of me. He had an accident a few days prior that put him in a wheelchair, so I volunteered in his place so I could still bring back home the honor of being a hero, because I know he wanted that and was frustrated he couldn’t. That’s why I’m here.”

“So you just… Accepted being a pawn like that?” Wooyoung asks, one eyebrow raised.

“Yeah. There’s nothing I can do.”

“What if they’re using you to do a bad thing?”

“They’re not.”

“How are you so sure? You don’t even know what you’re doing.”

“I just…” Yeosang groans. “It’s for a good purpose. They didn’t tell me anything because I’m only needed for the brutal work, so to speak. They’re hiding things because they don’t concern me, not because they’re shady or something.”

“If you say so.” Wooyoung shrugs. He’s clearly not happy with Yeosang’s reasoning, but he doesn’t seem particularly mad that he’s doing it.

Yeosang lets the silence drag for a few seconds before he speaks up again. “Sorry for not telling you first thing. I just didn’t know if it was safe for me to talk about it. It was between the lines that this mission was supposed to be a secret.”

“I get it, I get it.” the other boy waves his hand dismissively. “I suppose I would’ve kept it a secret too, if I were you. Just tell me one more thing: are you a spy?”

“What? No!”

“A cop?”

“No. I work in a movie theater and I like to draw in my free time, just like I told you when you asked me what I do back home.” Yeosang chuckles humorlessly. “I’m probably closer to being a random explorer than to being a cop, or a spy.”

“Well, good.” Wooyoung says. “We’ve had our fair share of, uh, problems with cops and spies. But if you’re not one, it’s cool. Just do your thing, I guess.”

“I get it if you want to stop helping me because of that.” Yeosang mutters. Yes, he gets it. He’d be sad to lose his friend’s company, but he’d understand.

“Why would I?”

“I lied to you.”

“You omitted things from me. You probably were instructed to.” Wooyoung shoots his friend a weak smile in hopes it’s reassuring. “I got a little upset, but you’ve come clean now. I’m not kicking you out or dropping my task of helping you because of that.”

“It’s not your duty to—”

“Nuh—uh, we’re not discussing this right now. We’re on a different topic.” he shakes his pointer finger in a “no” motion. “As I was saying: I’m not abandoning you, or letting you do that weird mission alone. Let’s just… Keep things the way they were? Would you like that?”

“Yeah.” Yeosang nods. “That would be nice.”

“Cool. Everything is the same, but now you’re a cool guy with a cool mission.”

He feigns indignation. “Was I _not_ a cool guy before?”

“Not with that hair, you weren't.” Wooyoung cackles playfully, dodging Yeosang’s closed fist that was aiming at his shoulder. “But you are now!! Even with the hair!”

Yeosang slumps down against the wall with his arms crossed, a smile on his lips betraying his annoyed façade. “You’re insufferable.”

“But I’m your friend and you like me regardless…?” the other boy bats his eyelashes at him playfully.

“Fuck off.”

They laugh together for another moment before it starts to die down. Then, Yeosang speaks up again, his tone more serious.

“I like being your friend.” he says, softly. “I’m glad I got to meet you through this whole thing.”

“I’m glad I got to meet you, too.” Wooyoung responds with sincerity to match. “You’re a good guy, Yeosang. It’s great to have you as a friend.”

Yeosang feels his ears heat up, and he doesn’t know why. Instead of overthinking it, he ignores it in favor of exchanging smiles with Wooyoung, no words needed between them.

It’s all good. They’re okay.

  
  
  


Visiting the listed locations and executing the mission one button at a time is not a dangerous task in general. It’s mostly tricky, like the time when they got lost because every corridor looked the same, or stuffy, like that time the location wasn’t abandoned and they had to hide in a closet so they wouldn’t get caught sneaking around, or tiring, when finding the panel and the buttons takes longer than it should. These are all stressful factors, but not physically dangerous in the slightest.

One time, however, that changes.

Well, not really. They’re still not particularly in danger, but just because it’s not dangerous doesn’t mean you can’t get hurt.

Here’s what happens: their current location is an old mine. Lke, probably centuries old, because Yeosang doesn’t recall hearing about mining activities ever in his life, not even in other cities, and he’s only read about it in school books, and even there the information provided was very little. It makes him wonder how old The Wastelands actually _are_. But that doesn’t matter right now.

They’re on a mine, and there’s no looming danger of it collapsing or anything, because the structure is made of metal and it seems to be holding up fine. It’s a small mine, so they find the panel quickly. Yeosang is still a little wary of pushing the buttons now that Wooyoung is aware of the mission, even though the other boy stated he doesn’t mind it as long as it’s not causing anyone harm.

None of the boys are very fond of being underground again after the ordeal that was the secret chamber under the corporate building on their first location, so they scurry to get out of the mine as soon as the button is pressed. There was a ladder leading down, so they only needed to climb it back up.

The thing with mines is that there are rocks everywhere. That’s the whole purpose of a mine — exploring minerals. Even old, abandoned ones are still full of the invaluable rocks that were left behind after the valuable ones were collected. That shouldn’t offer danger on itself, but paired with an uneven ground, it might.

In a hurry to leave, Yeosang trips, foot catching on a bump on the ground.

Scrambling to regain balance, he ends up landing on his side on a pile of rocks — unfortunately, rocks with relatively jagged edges and rough surface.

He immediately feels pain shoot up from his arm, the one he tried to brace himself with, and he _knows_ his hand is full of cuts and scratches. There’s a sting on his cheekbone, so he probably got hurt there too. A dull pain on his shoulder indicates he probably hit one of the rocks too forcefully — but it doesn’t seem like there’s a cut there, only a bruise. Probably.

Wooyoung rushes to him as soon as he hears the noise, and helps him up, asking frantically about injuries.

“Did you hurt yourself? Well, of course you hurt yourself, you fell on a bed of rocks— There’s a cut on your cheek. Where else did you get hurt? Can you walk?”

His worry and spitfire questions are actually kind of endearing. Yeosang nods at the last one. “I can walk. My legs and sides are fine, I landed mostly on my arm and shoulder.”

“Oh, that’s fortunate.” Wooyoung says, helping him walk anyway. “I mean, not fortunate, it would be better if you weren’t hurt at all, but—”

“I get it. Better some cuts on my arm than something worse on my leg.”

“Do you feel like anything’s broken?”

“No, no, just bruised, maybe. It hurts, but it’s nothing major. I’m okay.”

Wooyoung inspects his arm. “Yeosang, you’re bleeding.”

Ah, that must be from the sharp pain he felt as soon as he landed. He doesn’t feel anything alarming, though. “I’m alright. Don’t worry.”

“‘Don’t worry’, he says.” Wooyoung mocks, looking distressed. “Of course I’ll worry! We need to stop the bleeding, dummy. Don’t they teach you those things where you’re from?”

“I’ve never been very accident prone.”

“Still, you should know that bleeding out isn’t a good thing. We need to stop it from happening. Here.” he shrugs off his jacket and takes Yeosang’s injured arm with surprising delicacy. Now that it’s on display, Yeosang can see he’s sporting a rather ugly cut on his forearm near the crook of his elbow, along with smaller ones that don’t look threatening scattered around his skin. 

Wooyoung ties the sleeves of his jacket around the cut, securing it. It’s awkward, because the rest of the garment hangs off Yeosang’s arm like a flag from a mast, but it serves its purpose until they get home.

“Let’s get out of here.” Wooyoung mutters, leading him by holding onto his good arm. He gestures at the ladder. “Go first so I can secure you if you wobble. Warn me if you feel dizzy, alright?”

“Alright, alright. But really, I’m good.” 

“I’ll believe you when you’re healed. Now, let’s go.”

They leave the mine with no problems, and Yeosang doesn’t even wobble while climbing the ladder. During the ride back, his grip around Wooyoung’s waist is weaker because of his injured arm, and he’s a bit scared of losing his balance because of that, but he does his best to hold on tighter. During a stop, one of the other’s hands comes to rest on top of his and gives it two light pats.

“Hang on.”Wooyoung says, quietly but encouragingly. “We’re almost there.”

When they get to Wooyoung’s building, he supports Yeosang’s weight while they climb the flight of stairs that lead to the second floor, despite the injured boy’s claims that he feels fine and isn’t going to faint. As soon as they open the door to his apartment, Wooyoung instructs him to sit on the futon he sleeps on while he goes to fetch the first aid kit that “is there, somewhere”.

He emerges victorious from the bathroom five minutes later, proudly holding a white box. It's funny, how easily things get lost in a cramped apartment such as Wooyoung’s. There’s barely any room for them to get lost in, and yet the boy is almost always fumbling around to find something. 

Snapping Yeosang away from his thoughts, Wooyoung kneels in front of him, getting on his eye level, still staying a respectable distance away. He opens the box and takes a ball of cotton and a bottle of something.

“Can you hold out your arm for me?” he asks. Yeosang obliges. “I’ll start cleaning up the small ones, then the big one, and then we can cover you in band—aids and stuff.” he chuckles, already getting to the process.

It stings a little, but it’s not that bad. The bigger cut looks less scary now that the bleeding is contained, thanks to Wooyoung’s quick—thinking and jacket.

Speaking of which…

“Your jacket is probably stained with blood now.” Yeosang comments.

“It’s fine. I can wash it.” Wooyoung shrugs, and looks up at him. “I couldn’t let you bleed out, could I?”

Yeosang doesn’t say anything else. This isn’t a situation that has happened to him before, so he just stays quiet and lets his friend do his job of patching him up. His touch is light and mindful, treating Yeosang with utmost gentleness. As Wooyoung puts a band—aid on top of all his smaller cuts, even if it’s not really necessary, he feels cared for. The bigger cut gets wrapped in gauze and, just like that, his arm injuries are taken care of.

“There’s still that one on your cheek.” Wooyoung points out. He leans forward to inspect it. “Is it okay if I clean it or do you want to do it yourself?”

“You can do it.” Yeosang croaks out. “I don’t mind.”

He doesn’t, really — the prospect of having Wooyoung so close to his face makes him a bit nervous, yes, but he can’t find a reason for it, so he doesn’t see why not have his friend clean his cut for him. It’s no biggie.

It’s the same process of cleaning and putting a band-aid on it, but it’s different, somehow. Wooyoung cradles his jaw with the hand that isn’t working with the cut, for stability, and the touch seems to tingle like electricity. This close, he can see the tiny freckles that pepper Wooyoung’s face, the mole he has just below his eye, and another one on—

His bottom lip.

Yeosang gulps, cheeks warm. He hopes Wooyoung can’t feel his skin’s sudden temperature change.

After what seems like an eternity, the other boy finally puts a band-aid on his cheek and boops his nose affectionately. “Done.” he leans back. “Do you want me to take a look at your shoulder? You can roll your sleeve up if you want.”

The shoulder is not as close as the face, so Yeosang figures it’s fine, he won’t get a repeat of whatever was going on only moments ago. He hikes up his sleeve so his shoulder is exposed, and Wooyoung winces.

“Yikes. It’s ugly. But it should be fine with some ointment!” Wooyoung tosses him a tiny plastic recipient with a green lid. “Just apply it on top of the bruise. I might hurt you by accident if I do it.”

It’s a smart move, because the bruise is indeed ugly and it hurts at the slightest touch. Yeosang rubs the ointment over it slowly and carefully, and gives the recipient back when he’s done.

“You’re all patched up now.” Wooyoung says with a smile as he puts everything back inside the box and closes it. “Try not to sleep on that side tonight.”

“I don’t think I’d be able to even if I tried.” Yeosang comments. His shoulder hurts to move, so there’s no way it’ll support his weight while lying down. “Hurts.”

“It’ll heal soon.” his friend reassures him. “In the meantime, try to rest, okay? Can’t have a hero with his arm in a cast.”

He smiles and nods. Wooyoung squeezes his hand before getting up to put the first-aid kit back where it was.

Yeosang’s heart jumps. He doesn’t know what to make of it.

  
  
  


So, Yeosang forgets his own birthday.

It’s not like he can be blamed for it — between jumping from location to location to get his mission done, struggling with a racing heart every time Wooyoung smiles at him, and losing track of time because calendars aren’t a mandatory house item in The Wastelands, of course it’s easy to forget your own birthday.

That being said, imagine his surprise when he wakes up on June 15th, thinking it’s just a day like any other, and sees Wooyoung walk out of his cramped kitchen with a breakfast tray, grinning at him and walking to his direction.

“You’re awake!” he says, kneeling down on the futon and placing the tray on Yeosang’s lap. “Right on time. I just finished making these.”

Yeosang looks down and lets out a tiny noise of surprise. On the tray, there’s toast, sliced strawberries — he now knows you can only buy fruit if you go to one specific market — a bagel, peanut butter and a glass of chocolate milk. Now, he knows Wooyoung can cook, because more often than not they have dinner at his house. He’s by no means a chef, but he can make some nice meals. But he’s never _made_ breakfast — they usually eat whatever industrialized food they have — and he for sure never gave Yeosang breakfast in bed. That’s… Awfully domestic. And confusing.

And the strawberries. They’ve never had fruit. Where did the strawberries come from?

“What’s the occasion?” he asks, trying not to let his utter confusion show.

Wooyoung looks puzzled. “What do you mean? It’s your birthday! The 15th, right?”

Yeosang’s eyes widen. “Is it today?”

“You forgot your own birthday?” his friend laughs. “Yeah, it’s today. Happy birthday, Yeosang!”

“Thank you. Yeah, I forgot. Lost track of the days.” he looks at Wooyoung tenderly, because he can’t stop the warm feeling that blooms inside his chest. “You remembered, though.” 

“I did!” Wooyoung beams. “And I’m keeping my promise. We’re celebrating. But that’ll be later on. For now, just eat your breakfast.”

Yeosang digs in. The toast is delicious, and the peanut butter compliments it. The strawberries are not fresh in the slightest, as expected, but they’re good. Wooyoung munches on some cereal in the meantime, stealing a sip of his chocolate milk.

“Where did you even find those strawberries?” Yeosang asks, halfway through the toast.

“On that market I mentioned to you before. I was lucky they still had it.”

“But you said yourself that it was far from here.”

“I woke up a little earlier.” Wooyoung shrugs.

Okay, that’s a lot. Yeosang can’t wrap his head around the fact that the other woke up at the crack of dawn, probably, to go buy a rare item such as strawberries just for Yeosang to have a nice breakfast on his birthday. He… really did that.

“I know that look.” Wooyoung smiles. “You’re thinking I shouldn’t have done all that, but I wanted to. You’re having your birthday in the middle of a mission. You deserve it.”

Yeosang doesn’t reply, but he smiles back to show his gratitude. Inside, his head is full of thoughts.

As the day progresses, Wooyoung practically forces him to take a day—long break from the mission, so they stay home. Like always, there’s not a lot of things to do, but they have a good time regardless.

When the night comes, though, Wooyoung taps his shoulder and tells him to dress up because they’re going out. Which is a funny thing to say, since they both know Yeosang didn’t bring any “dress up” clothes, and neither can he borrow one from Wooyoung because he also doesn’t own any.

Still, he puts on his less ugly jeans and the only t—shirt that’s not plain, and not long after both boys are taking off on the hoverbike.

Wooyoung takes them to a hill, the ones that offer you a view of the city below. It’s not impressive. To Yeosang, seeing The Wastelands at night is just as tasteless as seeing it in broad daylight. He’s about to ask why are they here, when his friend chuckles in amusement.

“You’re looking in the wrong direction.” he says. Yeosang turns to look at him, and he points upwards.

At the sky.

Yeosang looks up.

Above them, there are not many stars. The pollution makes them hard to be seen, and on cloudy days they’re mostly invisible. Today, though, is a good day — the stars are few, but they’re bright. Pretty. A smile blooms on Yeosang’s lips as he admires them.

“I didn’t get you a physical gift because I didn’t know what to get, so I thought I could take you stargazing.” Wooyoung says softly. “I caught you staring at the comet miniature I have in my room many times, I figured you’d like to see the stars. Well, as many stars as we can see here.”

“It’s perfect.” Yeosang chokes out, almost crying. It’s so thoughtful, he doesn’t even know what to say. To think Wooyoung has done so much for him already, and now this… “Thank you so much.”

“No need to thank me. It’s your special day, you deserved a nice gift.”

Warm lips touch his cheek is a soft kiss.

“Happy birthday, Yeosang.”

_Oh_. 

Okay. This is new. And not unwelcome in the slightest — quite the opposite, actually. Yeosang feels his face warm up and refrains from bringing his fingers to the spot on his cheek Wooyoung kissed. He just smiles brightly at his friend and mutters a thank you.

Slowly, the jumps his heart made whenever the other boy smiled at him or touched his hand start to make sense, and things start to fall into place inside his mind.

He’s doomed.

  
  


* * *

Unfortunately, all good things crumble.

Wooyoung has been a little off lately, but Yeosang chalks it down to seasonal stress. He feels like that sometimes too.

But it’s not. While they’re leaving a location, one of the last five on the list, Wooyoung touches his shoulder and stops him in his tracks. His face looks somber — like he’s expecting something that’s not good.

“Yeosang, can I ask you something?”

“Yeah…? What happened?”

“When you said your mission was to help your city… _Where_ is it? Where are you from?”

Yeosang furrows his brows. “Why are you asking this now? Did something happen?”

“I’ve just been thinking.” Wooyoung dismisses. “Just answer this one thing, Yeosang. Are you from Nova Iris?”

The other casts his eyes down and nods. He doesn’t even know why he’s so ashamed of answering that, but Wooyoung’s voice sounds _hurt_ when saying his hometown’s name.

Wooyoung scoffs bitterly. “Of course you are. Now everything makes sense.”

“What is it? What makes sense?”

“You’re not on a mission to save your city, Yeosang. You’re locking us up.”

Yeosang blinks, confused. He doesn’t know how to react. At this point, he wonders if he knows _anything_. It feels like he doesn’t.

“I’m… Sorry.” he says, in advance. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Can you… Explain, please? I really want to know what’s going on.”

“You really don’t know?” Wooyoung raises an eyebrow, skeptical. “God, you really don’t. Look, there’s always been this rumor going around… I’ve known it my whole life, so it goes way back. There’s this rumor that one day, without any of us knowing, the government from Nova Iris came here and built a lockdown system that, when activated, would raise a wall that would isolate The Wastelands from the rest of the world. Like a prison.” he sighs. “I didn’t know the details, so I didn’t think much of your mission, but lately I’ve been feeling something was wrong, and now that I know where you’re from it all makes sense. I’m glad I realized before we covered all the locations, or it would’ve been too late.”

It’s a lot to process. Yeosang doesn’t know what to think, because Wooyoung wouldn’t lie to him, and definitely not about that, so he just… Stares.

“I’m sorry.” it’s all he can muster up.

“Sorry won’t cut it, Yeo. Not this time.” Wooyoung looks down. “You don’t really get it, do you? If you had followed through, we would all die. The Wastelands are only halfway maintainable because, even though no one reaches out to help us, we still can go to the more benevolent cities to buy essentials. If there’s a wall, we can’t. And we die. And you’d die as well, because you’d be stuck here with us.”

“Wooyoung, there’s nothing I can _do_ besides being sorry and stopping my mission right away. I’m sorry I even started it in the first place, if that helps. I don’t know what I can do to make it up for you. You know I knew nothing about it from the start. They gave me instructions, not a disclosure of the whole thing. I’m not guilty, at least not entirely”

“That’s not what I’m upset about. You broke my trust when you purposefully hid where you were from.”

“And what would’ve changed if I had told you?” Yeosang asks, raising his voice. “Would you have helped me? Would you have stopped me? Would you have just let me to my own devices?”

“I would’ve found out sooner, and explained everything to you just like I did right now, but I wouldn’t get upset because you would’ve been honest from the start. I would get mad, at _them_ , not at you, because even if I’m upset I still know you’re a victim in all this madness as well. But now I’m mad at _both_ , for different reasons of course.”

“What now, then?” Yeosang frowns. “Are you going to drop me off at the nearest city border and walk away? Are you never looking at me, or talking to me again?”

“Don’t be difficult.” Wooyoung chides. “You know I wouldn’t do that. Not everything has to be black and white, do or don’t, friends or enemies. I’m mad, I’m fucking _hurt_ , but I’m not abandoning you. I _want_ to forgive you, because you’re important to me, Yeosang. You’re _so_ important to me and, maybe, that’s why I’m so messed up over this situation. I trusted you fully when you were still hiding things, and now that I found out I feel heartbroken. Do you understand my reasoning?”

“I do. You have all the right to feel like that. I’m sorry.” Yeosang curls into himself in shame, right hand holding his left elbow. “What are you going to do now? I should give you space to think things through, right?” 

“Yeah, but— Let’s worry about that later.” Wooyoung waves his hand, looking troubled. “Now that we know _what_ Nova Iris wanted to do to us, you need to meet some people.”

Yeosang doesn’t have a clue who he needs to meet, but he trusts Wooyoung, even if the feeling isn’t mutual. He follows his friend — can they still be called friends? — and they both hop onto the hoverbike.

During the whole trip, Yeosang holds onto the side railings for balance.

  
  
  
  


Wooyoung takes them to an old house. The outside doesn’t have much to it — it looks simple. Like any other. Yeosang has a feeling that it’s not the case.

When they knock, the person who welcomes them is a familiar face.

Yeosang is, for some reason, not surprised to see Seonghwa’s gentle smile as the door opens. His smile, however, falls when his eyes land on Wooyoung’s stormy expression.

“What happened?” he asks.

“Yeosang forgot to tell us something important.” the younger boy grumbles. “Is everyone there?”

“Yeah. We’re on a reunion, though.”

“Even better. We need to tell you guys something.”

Seonghwa furrows his brows. “Is everything alright?”

“Yes, for now. But we have information. It’s important.”

The older gestures for them to come in, and leads them through the house until they reach a closed door. He opens it slowly and pokes his head in.

“We’ve got visitors.”

“Who?” a voice from inside asks.

Seonghwa opens the door to reveal the other two boys. Inside the room, there are five other people, some sitting on the floor and some sitting on a ratty green couch (that looks ugly). One of them, though, catches Yeosang’s attention, because he’s seen that person before.

On a screener, back home.

“You’re him.” he blurts out before he can stop himself.

The guy in question looks puzzled. He’s pretty, delicate nose, round eyes and long—ish light brown hair. “Me?”

Yeosang nods. “You’re him. The King.”

“I’m sorry, who? I’m not a king. We don’t have kings here. We don’t have any leadership figures here. We don’t even have laws. I’m no king.” he takes a step forward and extends his hand as a greeting. “I’m Hongjoong.”

“I’m Yeosang. And what I meant is that they showed your picture on the news back home.” Yeosang says, shaking the man’s hand. “They said you called yourself ‘The King’. And you were like, a rebel leader or something.”

“Well, they got _that_ right.” one of the other unknown boys comments.

“Yeah, but they got the rest wrong.” Hongjoong points out. “Where are you even from? Why would they put me on the news? I’m lowkey. _We_ are lowkey.”

Yeosang sighs, already expecting their reactions when he answers. “I’m from Nova Iris.”

There’s a collective gasp followed by silence. Seonghwa turns to Wooyoung, who gestures vaguely with a hand. “See why I told you it was important?”

The older rubs his temples. “Let’s all sit down, and you can tell us what happened. Both of you.”

They do as he says, and Yeosang starts his story from the beginning. From the broadcasts, then his brother’s accident, to his volunteering, to the mission, to his stay at The Wastelands and finally Wooyoung finding out the truth about the mission.

“That doesn’t make any sense.” one of the taller boys, the one with round cheeks, protests. “We’ve never tried to go past the borders. And, even if we did, why would they be scared of ballistic weapons when they have laser guns?”

“I didn’t believe it fiercely either.” Yeosang says. “They never showed us footage. But you know people. If it’s sensationalistic, they’ll believe anything.”

“Yeah, but that’s, like, criminal- right?” a shorter boy with thick black hair in a small ponytail argues. “That’s mass manipulation and deceit. That shouldn’t be okay.”

“They’re the government, Sannie.” Hongjoong says. “They’re the top of the food chain. If they lie, that’s between them and the devil, so to speak. They won’t face any consequences because _they_ are the ones who punish crime when it happens.” 

“That’s so ridiculous.” the other tall guy of the bunch mutters. “How could they accuse us of breaking in and crossing the city borders when they shoot people on sight as they get closer?”

“Wait, wait, wait.” Yeosang holds out his hands. “They do what?”

“They have a group of soldiers at the main city border between us and Nova Iris.” Hongjoong explains. “If anyone comes close, they shoot. Laser guns, the good stuff.”

“That’s- That’s fucking barbaric.” the younger sighs. It’s not like he held his city’s government in high esteem before, but now it just gets worse and worse.

“You didn’t know that either?” Wooyoung asks him.

“Of course I didn’t! Why would I even accept a mission from the government if I did?”

“You people from Nova Iris know so little of your own city.”

“Because it’s _kept_ from us.” Yeosang grits his teeth. “Not like the majority of the population would care if they knew, though. Most of the citizens think The Wastelands are trash.”

“The feeling is mutual.” Seonghwa grumbles.

“And Wooyoung, you don’t get to poke at me because you’re upset.” Yeosang snaps. “Alright, I didn’t tell you I’m from Nova Iris, but you also didn’t tell me you’re part of a secret revolutionary group.”

“Because I’m not.” Wooyoung quips back.

“And how do you know all of them?”

“We met through Seonghwa, a while back. I’m friends with all of them. But I’m not with their cause in number.”

“He’s really not.” Hongjoong supplies. “We’ve tried, but he doesn’t want to join, even though he supports us.”

Yeosang turns to Wooyoung. “Why?”

“Because I’m a coward.” the other shrugs. “Because, even though I think Nova Iris’ government is scum, I’m too scared to let go of my pathetic life here to fight against them. I’m scared of not being here when my parents visit. It’s a stupid reason, but-”

“It’s not stupid.” Seonghwa interrupts. “It’s your reason. You have no obligation to do anything. We understand your motives, Woo, we’ve been over that.”

“They’re right.” Yeosang says. “You’re not in the wrong for not wanting to fight head-on.”

“Doesn’t matter.” Wooyoung sighs. “Because I’m joining you now.”

“You are?” Hongjoong looks surprised. “What made you change your mind?”

“Recent events.” the younger glances at Yeosang. “After we found out what Nova Iris is planning, I thought you guys would finally put your plan to action. Don’t look at me like that, I know you have a plan, I don’t need to be a part of your reunions to see that. Anyway, I think you could use any help you can get, so. I’m joining.”

“You’ve always been welcome here. We’re glad to have you.”

“But I’m afraid our plan has failed before we put it to action.” the only other boy who had been silent until now, the one with the middle-part and the cross earring, speaks up. “I went to inspect the city borders yesterday, don’t worry, I stayed out of sight, and it’s blocked.”

“Blocked?”

“There’s a fucking wall. Even the guards are gone, because they’re not needed anymore. I checked, and there’s no way to go past it.”

“They probably did it after they sent me here to activate the lockdown mechanism.” Yeosang comments. “They wanted to start the process early, so they blocked the main border.”

“That makes sense.” Hongjoong says. “How did you get here, if the main border was already blocked?”

“You know that old train station between here and Nova Iris? The one that either no one knows about or no one remembers because they don’t care? There’s a bridge that links both sides, it goes over the station because they can’t, for some reason, destroy the structure. I think it requires heavy machinery that they don’t have.”

“How do you know all that?” Wooyoung asks. “You don’t know anything about your own city but you know about old train stations and connections between here and there?”

“I asked, on my way here.” Yeosang shrugs. “I was curious, and the guard that was accompanying me had no trouble telling me stuff. I’m really good at playing dumb, and it probably made him feel superior so he started gushing about a lot of things. Most of them were irrelevant, though, but I think knowing about the bridge was a good thing.”

“Fair enough.”

“That’s brilliant.” Hongjoong beams. “If we can get to Nova Iris through that bridge, we’ll even have the element of surprise because no one remembers it.”

“What even _is_ your plan?” Wooyoung raises an eyebrow. 

“Infiltrating, finding the Governor, getting him to admit his crimes and broadcast it worldwide so he can pay for what he did.”

“Pacific. And if he doesn’t want to admit?”

“We arrest him on our own terms and take over.”

“Which is probably what’s going to happen.” the tall boy from earlier comments.

“The thing is,” Seonghwa speaks up. “We could use a local. At least as a guide.”

All eyes turn to Yeosang. He blinks. “Me?”

“You don’t have to participate in anything else if you don’t feel comfortable. But if you could guide us around Nova Iris so we don’t get lost…”

He ponders. Is he willing to do that? After all, just weeks ago, Nova Iris was his city. The Governor was his leader. Hell, he was even working for the man. But now… Now he gets that he wasn’t on the right side at all. He was even contributing, even if unknowingly, to the further oppression of the citizens of The Wastelands.

Because of that, he lost the trust of someone very dear to him.

He needs to start doing the right things.

“I’m in.”

  
  
  
  


After sort-of joining the rebel group, Yeosang starts to also live at their house — which he finds out is actually Seonghwa’s old home. Wooyoung still lives in his apartment, so Yeosang figures it’s best for them to be apart for a while, to give the other boy his space.

He gets to know the other better, starting with their names — Yunho, San, Mingi and Jongho — and as the days pass he starts to really get along with them. Mostly, though, he just sits on the front porch of the house and stares away, reminiscing and overthinking things. 

The thing is, not only is Yeosang conflicted with his own actions — the whole mission thing — but he’s also conflicted with his own feelings. It’s kind of silly to say it, but he feels bad to still think of Wooyoung in a romantic light even though the other is upset with him. It feels like he’s somehow disrespecting Wooyoung’s wishes to give him some time alone. Unfortunately, the more Yeosang wills himself to _stop_ thinking about Wooyoung, the more his mind is permeated by his voice, his smile, his hugs and that chaste kiss that still haunts him everyday before he goes to sleep.

One day, Seonghwa joins him on the porch. He sits quietly by Yeosang’s side and rests his forearms on his knees.

“So, what’s on your mind?”

“A lot.” Yeosang chuckles humorlessly.

“Want to share? Maybe I can help.”

“It’s… Mostly about Wooyoung.” he admits. “In more ways than one.”

“I figured.” the older smiles knowingly. “You like him, don’t you? More than as a friend.”

“I do.” Yeosang says, but then furrows his brows. “Wait, how did you know?”

“I’ve had my fair share of loving gazes and yearning. I know what it looks like.”

“You got it right. I like him a lot, but now that I’ve upset him I feel bad for still feeling this way. It’s like I’m not giving him proper space if I still daydream of holding his hand.”

“Yeosang, that’s not how it works. You can’t control your heart.” Seonghwa says. “Besides, he won’t be upset at you forever. It’s not even that big of a deal — he’s overreacting.”

“I think he’s right to be mad at me.” Yeosang shrugs. “I did hide it from him, and maybe a lot would’ve changed if I hadn’t. I still broke his trust.”

“I didn’t say he wasn’t right to feel how he’s feeling.” the older explains. “I said he’s blowing it out of proportion. And he is. You see, I’ve known Wooyoung basically my whole life, and I can tell he’s very reactive — if you hurt him, he’ll be upset and he’ll throw sharp words at you until you make up.”

“Like he’s been doing everytime we inevitably end up seeing each other.”

“Yes. But I can also tell that, if you’re important to him, the fact that you upset him weighs more than it would if you were a random person. _That’s_ why he’s so hurt over what you did. Because he cares for you, and not feeling like he can trust someone he cares about… It’s pretty bad. Do you understand?”

“I do. He actually told me something along those lines when he first found out about my lie. He said he wanted to forgive me because I was important to him, but that also because of that the hurt felt worse.”

“Wooyoung is very open about his feelings.” Seonghwa muses. “He’s always been.”

“Do you think he’ll ever forgive me?” Yeosang asks. “I’m going to sound pathetic, but I miss him.”

The older chuckles, and shakes his head. “That’s not pathetic. I’m sure he will forgive you.” a pause. “He misses you too. Do you forgive him for not telling you he was friends with a rebel group?”

“Yeah. Not that I think it was a big mistake, to be honest. It never came up, and I suppose it’s pretty out of the blue to say that in the middle of a conversation. I think I understand why he never said it.”

“You’re a thoughtful guy, Yeosang.” Seonghwa smiles. “Wooyoung… Not so much. I think you two are perfect for each other.”

“We’d need to be friends again for _that_ to even be in the plans.”

“Don’t be so pessimistic. Your bond was already so strong in so little time, there needs to be more than a miscommunication problem and a breach of trust for that to break.” he pats Yeosang’s shoulder. “Trust me.”

“I’ll try.” the younger sighs. “Hey, can I ask you something? Unrelated to Wooyoung.”

That brings a laugh out of Seonghwa. “Sure.”

“You can not answer if it’s too personal, but… Why did your rebel group start?”

“Ah, well… We all had our reasons, I suppose.” the older clicks his tongue. “There are other groups scattered around the city, but they don’t really… Get things done, I guess. Besides, the other boys and I, we all got along very well, so it was better to have a group of our own. It was Joong’s idea — he’s kind of our leader.”

“It was really awful of Nova Iris to put him on the news like that.” Yeosang mutters bitterly. “I guess they really needed a bad guy to make their story of breaking in more believable. I’m very sorry on their behalf. Really.”

“I know. It’s alright.”

“What was… I don’t want to pry, but what were you guys’ reasons to start the group?”

“Normally I wouldn’t answer that, but I think you deserve to know.” Seonghwa sighs. “Hongjoong’s family was part of an older group, and they were mostly all victims of the guards at the border, back when they started to shoot on sight. He was barely a teenager, if I recall, and he didn’t even get close to the frontline, he was at the makeshift camp they set up for the children and elderly so they wouldn’t get caught on the crossfire, if there was any. But laser guns have an awfully long range, so. They got him in the leg, barely, but they did. He still has a burn scar. You can imagine what they did with most of his family.”

Yeosang winces at the implication. He doesn’t have the guts to say anything.

“Yunho was there too when it happened, but his family wasn’t in the frontline so no one got hurt. He only saw everything. Sannie is actually from another city, kinda far from here, and when he visited he learned about, well, everything, so he joined. With Mingi and Jongho it was a simpler case, they just want to help change the situation and they don’t really have much to lose, so.”

“And you?”

“My story is more complicated.” Seonghwa smiles sadly. It looks resigned. “It’s more of a personal grudge. Kinda like what drove you to volunteer when your brother wasn’t able to anymore. You see, I was born here, but my mom is actually from Nova Iris. She met my dad during a visit, and they fell in love, and not long after I was born. One week from my second birthday, officers from Nova Iris took her away. They chased me and my dad out and burned our house. They burned memories, feelings, all of it. Not long after, my dad also disappeared. Wooyoung’s family took me in, and the rest is history. The only memory I still have of her is this necklace.” he touches the jewelry lightly.

That makes sense, Yeosang thinks. No wonder the silver chain and charm were so well-polished and clean looking. He probably took care of it like no other item.

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Yeosang croaks out. “I really am.”

“Thanks for the sentiments.” Seonghwa pats his shoulder. “I believe she’s still alive there, otherwise they wouldn’t have taken her, just… You know. Killed her. So I still hope I can find her. I’ve heard rumors… They say she works as a secretary for the government’s office so they can keep an eye on her. But who knows.” he shrugs. “Park is a common name. It can be anyone.”

“I hope you find her. If you want, I’ll help. I lost my mom when I was little too, so I know how you feel.”

“My condolences.”

“Thank you. I’m at peace with it. It was long ago.”

“I accept your help, if it ever comes down to it.” the older smiles. “You really are a good person, Yeosang. I mean it.”

Yeosang just nods. Then, he speaks up again, to tell him something he’s been mulling over for a good while as well. “There’s something else I’ve been meaning to ask about.”

“What?”

“I want to join you guys.” he blurts out. “Not only as a guide, but- If you need me to partake in the plan, I’m willing to.”

Seonghwa gapes at him. “That’s a pretty bold decision. You’re welcome to, of course. Can I ask why?”

“I’ve been considering it since I agreed to help from the sidelines. But hearing your stories convinced me to do it for real. You’ve all been through a lot. You deserve justice for that, and if I can be of use, I want to.”

The older smiles. “That’s very brave and selfless of you, Yeosang. Next meeting, we’ll open the door for you.”

“Thanks.” Yeosang smiles back, weakly.

“Now, I’ve got to go, things to do and all that.” Seonghwa gets up. “Don’t overthink things, alright? It’ll be fine.” he ruffles the younger’s hair and walks away.

Then, he backtracks. “Oh, one more thing.”

“Hm?”

“Don’t think I forgot about my bike, mister. I still want it back.”

Yeosang grins.

  
  
  


Days later, Yeosang is still sitting on the porch when the tip of a sneaker nudges his side.

He looks up, and has to contain a bright smile at the sight of Wooyoung.

Damn, Yeosang really missed him.

“Get up, silly.” he says. “If you’re joining us, you need to learn how to fight. Or defend yourself, at least.”

In an act that probably means a lot, he extends a hand to help Yeosang to his feet.

“Are you teaching me how to fight?” Yeosang asks, unable to keep the happy lilt out of his voice.

“I’m afraid I’m not the best qualified person to do so.” Wooyoung chuckles. “I was self-taught. I know how to knock a guy out, but I don’t know technique, so I can’t teach you. San knows technique, so I’m taking you to him, and staying there as your impulse control so you don’t try anything stupid.”

Yeosang gestures to the door. “Lead the way, then.”

The other just rolls his eyes, but he has a smile playing on his lips, so Yeosang knows it’s a fond eyeroll. He used to do that a lot.

On their way to the backyard, where San should be waiting for them, Wooyoung speaks up.

“I forgive you.”

Yeosang stops in his tracks. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. I thought about it, and I can see why you were wary of revealing your hometown, so I forgive you.” he sighs. “Also, I kept thinking, and there’s not a single aspect of life in which I don’t trust you. Which might be stupid and reckless, but it’s the truth. Deep down, I know you’d never hurt me on purpose.”

Something explodes inside Yeosang’s chest at that revelation. He can’t stop smiling as he looks at the boy he cares for so much, and who seemingly cares for him the same amount. “The feeling is mutual. I feel like I can trust you with my life.”

Wooyoung scoffs. “You’re so dramatic.”

“So we’re good? Please say so.”

“We’re good. Just… No more miscommunications, alright?”

“Absolutely.” Yeosang smiles. “Can I get a hug?”

Arms wrap around him almost immediately, and he swears he could stay like that forever. Surrounded by the feeling of having Wooyoung close to him, so familiar, so real, so _warm_.

It feels like coming home.

  
  


* * *

One week from them, they get ready to execute the plan.

They leave at night — it’s safer to stay unnoticed — and everything rolls relatively smoothly. They enter Nova Iris undetected, and even manage to get to the government building without trouble. From there, Yeosang and Wooyoung will enter to assess the situation and corner the Governor, best case scenario. The others will stay hidden, waiting for a signal in the unfortunate occurrence of one of the worst case scenarios.

Everything is going fine, so far.

Until it isn’t.

“What do we have here?” a calm voice asks when they’re in front of the door to the governor’s office. Both boys turn, and there’s the man himself — still in his suit, as seen it’s not so late. “Oh! Yeosang, is it? I wasn’t expecting to see you so soon!”

_You weren’t expecting to see me at all_ , Yeosang thinks. _You sent me to die_.

“Yeah, I’m back.” he forces out.

“You didn’t have to stop by unannounced, kid. I could wait. Did you finish your mission?”

“What do you think?” Yeosang quips.

The Governor’s semblant changes. “I see. What are you here for, then? Even brought a friend with you. Must be a special occasion.”

“We’re not looking for trouble.” he tries.

“Too late. Soldiers should be here any moment now.”

“Fuck.” Yeosang mutters. Faintly, he can hear boots stomping — they’re clearly outnumbered. He turns to Wooyoung. “What now?” 

“Keep it cool.” the other boy says. “Don’t freak out. Talk to him. Get it to admit it.”

“Admit what?” the Governor asks.

“Your crimes.” Yeosang shoots back. “Every little thing you, and the ones before you, did to keep The Wastelands segregated. Creating fake news and broadcasting them like they were true — inflicting fear upon people so they wouldn’t mind you moving your strings to slowly let citizens from The Wastelands die. Instructing your soldiers to shoot on sight at anyone who came closer to the main city border. Creating a circus and _asking_ for a hero, a martyr, to do the dirty work of activating a lockdown mechanism that would isolate The Wastelands within a wall, like a prison.”

“And you want me to admit to that?”

“You should fucking own up to your acts, no matter how awful they are.” Yeosang spits. “Save yourself some shard of dignity.”

“Well then.” the Governor shrugs. “I did all that. And I don’t regret it.”

“Of course you don’t.” Wooyoung grumbles.

“What baffles me, Yeosang, is that you would associate with those savages.” the man looks at Wooyoung with disdain. Yeosang’s blood boils. “You would be such a good hero to me, to our city. The boy who saved us all from the Wasteland attacks.”

“I was never a hero at heart.” Yeosang says. “I accepted the mission out of honor. To bring that honor back to a brother that wanted to be a hero, but couldn’t. All I did was for _him_ — not for this city, and not for you. Never for you.”

“Uh-huh.” the Governor looks uninterested. He talks in a sarcastic voice. “Your brother has recovered well, Yeosang. Him and your father both miss you dearly. So, because I’m feeling benevolent and you two were really well-behaved boys so far…” a pair of hands grabs Yeosang’s arms, immobilizing him. He sees the same be done to Wooyoung. The soldiers were really called. “I’ll let you go, like nothing happened.” the Governor pauses and points to Wooyoung. “ _If_ you turn in your good friend here.”

At first, Yeosang wants to say no, because it _has_ to be a trap, right? But then he looks at Wooyoung, and it’s like they can communicate without words.

_Let them release you and conatct the others so they can jump in._

Yeosang can do that. At the same time, he doesn’t want to let Wooyoung go. He doesn’t know what they’ll do to him if he gets arrested — it can’t be anything good. If his arms weren’t bound by the soldier’s grip, he would’ve reached out to Wooyoung.

His friend seems to catch the worry in his eyes, because he shakes his head with a smile. “Don’t worry, Yeo. I’ll be fine.”

“No, you won’t.”

“I will. It’s no problem, I’ll go with them.” Wooyoung pauses, and there’s _something_ dancing in his eyes, something meaningful that Yeosang is scared of overanalyzing and finding out. “For you, I’ll go. I’d go anywhere.”

And fuck if Wooyoung doesn’t have the worst fucking timing in the whole universe.

Why does he _say_ those things at such inappropriate moments? They’re being held as prisoners, in the middle of an attempt at a revolution, and now all Yeosang wants to do is kiss Wooyoung silly. 

He’ll just have to save that for later after they succeed with their plan.

For now, he just nods at Wooyoung.

“I’ll go willingly.” the boy says. “Can I at least have confirmation that Yeosang is being let out safely? Just watching from afar will do.”

“I don’t see why not.” the Governor shrugs and nods to the man holding Yeosang. “You, see this one out.” he beckons the other soldier over. “You, take that one to a window so he can see his friend walk out safely.”

While he’s walking out, Yeosang looks up at the window Wooyoung is watching him. He waves, and nods almost imperceptibly, so he knows he’s following their plan.

As soon as he’s out of sight, Yeosang runs to where the others are hiding and alerts them that they’re in their worst case scenario. Hongjoong nods at the others, and suddenly they all know what to do, and all Yeosang can do is follow.

At the first cock of a gun he hears, it’s a blur of memories, really.

He remembers rushing back to the building, not caring about making a ruckus, and managing to catch Wooyoung still in the building, being led down one of the halls. Someone shoots the guard, Yeosang doesn’t even register _where_ , but he rushes to Wooyoung.

“Did they hurt you?” he asks, frantic.

Wooyoung shakes his head. “You guys got here before they could do anything.” he breathes out. “Thanks for that.”

“No more reckless moves from now on, alright?”

“As you wish.”

“What is the meaning of this?” a booming voice asks. On the other side of the hall, not too far from them, stands the Governor. He’s practically frothing at the mouth right now — and Yeosang wishes it was only a figure of speech. Two soldiers flank his sides, laser guns raised. If the men shoot, they’re all dead.

Two loud bangs, and the soldiers are dropping to the floor.

Another one, and the Governor clutches his knee — a dark red patch starting to form against the fabric of his pants.

To his side, Yeosang can see Seonghwa lowering his gun, and he’s _impressed_ — not only at the precision of the shot, definitely aimed to maim, not kill, but also at the sight of such a gentle and soft-spoken guy handling a gun without hesitation.

Now kneeling, the Governor sneers at them. “What now? Are you going to kill me?”

“Killing you would bring us no satisfaction whatsoever.” Hongjoong says, looking at the man with something akin to pity. “We want you to pay for your crimes, that’s all.”

At his words, Wooyoung takes from his pockets a device — a recorder. He hands it to Yunho, who in turn takes out a tablet from a bag Yeosang never noticed he was holding. He then starts to click and tap around in a frenzy, and Yeosang has no idea what he’s doing, but he has a clue on what it will result in.

“We got you on tape admitting to what you did.”Hongjoong explains. “We’re showing it to everyone. Soon, you’ll be held accountable.”

“Good luck.” the Governor spits out. “You’re just a bunch of kids. Savages from that land. No one will believe you, and if they do, no one will agree with you. No one _cares_ -”

Wooyoung hits the man’s head with the barrel of a gun, promptly knocking him unconscious.

“I couldn’t stand his fucking voice anymore.” the boy complains. “Hopefully he’ll stay like that for a couple of hours.”

“I’m starting to broadcast his words.” Yunho says, still working on his tech.

“Good.” Hongjoong nods. “I think we should get out of here. Yeosang, is your house near?”

“Not quite.” Yeosang shakes his head. ”But it’s not too far either. Do you think it’s safe? What if there are more soldiers on our tracks?”

“I think the Governor tried to keep this lowkey so he wouldn’t alert the city and raise suspicions. We’re probably clear.”

“I’ll stay back.” Seonghwa speaks up. “I need to find someone. Do you think the office workers in the building ran off?”

“I saw some of them hide on the first floor.” Mingi says. “She could be there.”

The older nods, and dashes to the stairs. 

Hongjoong rolls his eyes. “I’ll go with him so he doesn’t do anything stupid. The rest of you, follow Yeosang to his house, keep things lowkey, alright? Jongho, temporary leadership is with you. Don’t disappoint me.”

“I won’t!” the boy says, proudly.

“Why does he get the leadership?” Yunho pouts. “I’m the third oldest, it should be me.”

All of them share a laugh at that, and soon are parting ways. They leave one hoverbike behind so Hongjoong and Seonghwa can leave the building later, and rush to Yeosang’s house as fast as they can.

His family’s reaction to the situation is… Peculiar. They just gape at him and the four boys behind him like they’re a vision or something.

Their reaction after Yeosang explains everything — very rushedly, he doesn’t even know how he does it — is familiar ground, though. Both his father and brother hug him tight and say they’ve missed him, and they’re proud.

They lay low for about twenty minutes, and Yunho updates them constantly about his broadcasting of the Governor’s words and the reactions they’re getting from other cities — he sees it in news websites and social media. Apparently, two cities have expressed their distaste and are willing to take action to judge the Governor and elect someone better to rule Nova Iris.

There’s a knock on the door and Yeosang opens it, revealing Hongjoong, Seonghwa and a woman in her fifties that looks a lot like the latter.

His mother.

He found her.

Yeosang smiles at him, and he reciprocates — a silent exchange that means a lot after their conversation at the porch.

Hongjoong, however, doesn’t look happy at all.

“They’re fucking insane.” he says, looking distressed.

“Who?” Mingi asks.

“The people from this city. They’re hearing the broadcast and claiming the Governor was right, that The Wastelands are full of scum, that we should be killed.” he shakes his head. “They’re starting to take the streets. We can’t stay here.”

“I told you most of the population doesn’t like us.” Yeosang says. 

“Let’s go back then.” San suggests. “Yunho just told us some cities are willing to take action against the Governor. We did what we needed to.”

“What if it doesn’t end with him, though?” Seonghwa points out. “Look at how many people agree with him. Who can guarantee the next person won’t be like him?”

Engines move inside Yeosang’s head. Then, he comes up with an idea.

“If Nova Iris can’t be changed…” he starts. “Why don’t we fix the situations by _rebuilding_ The Wastelands?”

“Don’t you think no one tried that before?” San grumbles. “No one wants anything to do with us.”

“He may have a point, guys.” Yunho speaks up. “I’m receiving updates. The same cities that offered to punish the Governor are finding out this was the doing of someone from The Wastelands. They’re offering full support to us in order to start to make up for decades of negligence.”

“So they want an alliance?”Hongjoong raises an eyebrow. “We don’t even have a leader there.”

“Not an alliance. It’s like they’re willing to start to trade with us openly, give supplies, and such.”

“Sounds like a charity case.”

“So what?” Wooyoung shrugs. “You know it’s the closest we’ll get to being treated as humans. I say we accept it and rebuild the city. We can do it.”

Noise starts to come from the streets. Voices. Lots of them.

“They really are rioting, huh.” Yeosang comments, half in disbelief and half already expecting it.

“They are.” Hongjoong says. “Can we please get out of here? We can discuss the logistics of rebuilding a whole city _after_ we’re safe from a mob of fanatics.”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

“Wait, Yeosang.” his father interrupts. “You’re leaving, too?”

The boy smiles sadly. “Yeah, dad. I don’t really want anything to do with this place anymore.” he pauses. “You and brother should come with us.”

“He’s right, dad.” his brother says. “There’s nothing in here for us.”

“Everything we know is here.”

“Listen to all those people out there that think what was done to The Wastelands was good.” Yeosang insists. “Don’t close a blind eye to that. This city is rotten. I stand with the people from The Wastelands, so I’m going back there. Please join us, dad.”

His father sighs. “You’re absolutely right. You and your brother never cease to make me proud. I’m going with you people, just- let me get my car.”

Yeosang smiles.

They manage to get out by a hair’s breadth, all in separate cars and going as fast as possible. On the way back, they destroy the bridge that links both cities so they wouldn’t be sought after by some more extremist citizens — and who knew Mingi had a knack for explosives? In a matter of seconds, one chunk of the bridge was down.

Yeosang watches as Yunho establishes some sort of online diplomacy with the cities that offered them support, and watches from afar as Seonghwa and his mother talk nonstop, smiling widely at being, finally, reunited.

He believes things are looking up.

  
  
  


That night, Yeosang stays over at Wooyoung’s apartment while his father and brother stay temporarily at Seonghwa’s old house, also known as secret base. It has a lot of rooms, so they should be fine.

As soon as they get to Wooyoung’s, Yeosang faceplants on the futon that he used to sleep at — which is surprisingly still rolled out on the floor.

“Today was a lot, huh?” Wooyoung comments.

“Are you kidding? I’ve had enough adrenaline for a lifetime. I think I’ll just chill forever after this.”

“Do you really think we can rebuild the city?”

“I think so. We’ll need to talk to the rest of the population, but seeing as they’re also unsatisfied with the current predicament I don’t think they’ll oppose. Also, we’ll eventually need a leader — and _laws_ .That’s _very_ important. But I think it’ll work.”

“Maybe your brother could lead.” Wooyoung suggests. “He seems like the type. I’d say Hongjoong but- I see him more as the leader of a revolution than a city.”

“I get what you mean. And you’re right — my brother would be a great leader.” Yeosang muses. “He’s a real hero.”

Wooyoung sits beside him, hand flying to pet his hair. “Do you think you’re not a real hero?”

“Well… Yeah.”

“Yeosang, you arrived here with a mission, a criminal mission, but you didn’t know what at the time, and you almost got through with it. Then, we found out your journey was for the wrong reasons, and you _immediately_ dropped it, and embraced our cause with open arms. Not only that, you took part in our crazy plan and stood up against the Governor. You even came up with the plan to rebuild The Wastelands. How is that not being a hero?”

“If you put it like that…” Yeosang sits up and looks at Wooyoung. “I couldn’t have done anything without you, though. Not my first mission, not the second one. Even when you weren’t physically helping me, and that already was a lot of times, you still stood with me and gave me strength. You were there for me the whole time.”

“Not the whole time.” Wooyoung looks down.

“You had your reasons. And we were cool not long after.”

“Yeah.” 

“Really, Wooyoung, I don’t think I would’ve come this far without you. I’d probably not even be alive if it wasn’t for you, your help, your support, your friendship… You as a whole.”

Wooyoung smiles bashfully and grabs Yeosang’s hands between his own. “I’ll always be here for you. Whenever you want, whenever you need… If the world gets too heavy, I’ll help you carry it.”

“I’ll do the same for you.” Yeosang smiles back at his friend.

His best friend.

The boy he loves.

“You know, Wooyoung, we’ve promised before that there would be no more miscommunications between us.” he says. “Right?”

“Right.”

“So I have something to tell you.” Yeosang takes a deep breath. “Jung Wooyoung.”

“Yes?”

“I’m in love with you.” he blurts out. “I have been, for the better part of our friendship. I still can’t believe I fell for you so fast, but looking at you, being with you, I totally can. You’re amazing. You’re such an incredible person, I’d be a fool not to fall for you.”

Wooyoung blinks. “Are you for real?”

“Of course! I wouldn’t play around with something like that!”

The next second, Wooyoung is tackling Yeosang to the ground, on top of the futon, and peppering his face with kisses wherever he can reach — cheeks, nose, forehead, even tiny pecks on the lips.

“I’m in love with you too!” he pretty much screams. “I thought I had given myself out when I kissed you on your birthday. And when I said earlier that I’d go anywhere for you.”

“God, that was terrible timing.” Yeosang wraps his arms around Wooyoung’s waist. “I wanted to kiss you so bad back then.”

“You can make up for it now.” Wooyoung shoots back with a cheeky grin.

And Yeosang does so.

Between kisses, Wooyoung makes sure to list as many reasons as he can to why he fell in love with Yeosang. Yeosang is perfect, he’s adorable, he’s so nice to be around, he’s brave, he’s selfless, he’s smart, he’s a hero, he has soft cheeks. Yeosang drinks it all up, singing back praises of his own directed at the gorgeous, wonderful boy in his arms.

They stay wrapped around each other, both physically and figuratively, for longer than they could count, not only kissing but also talking, and often just staying in each other’s embrace, basking in the happiness of being with someone they love.

The moment is cut by their stomachs grumbling, and Yeosang kisses Wooyoung again for having such an adorable giggle. In return, Wooyoung kisses his jaw and asks if he wants to share a bowl of dry cereal.

He does.

They fall asleep together not long after — limbs tangled, cheeks pink and hearts soaring.

  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Three months later, Yeosang and Wooyoung watch the stars and hold hands.

It’s not easy, and it’s not fast, to rebuild a whole city. They’re on the right path, though — Yeosang’s brother is taking the lead of the process, and things are flowing. Slow, but that was expected.

Both boys are also going through a process of their own, though this one is way more delightful. They’re learning how to navigate each other, now that feelings were confessed and a teary-eyed Wooyoung asked Yeosang to be his boyfriend — a request that was responded positively almost in the same fashion. They’re taking things slow but sure, balancing their newfound relationship with other duties, and they’re having a great time. Love is not an issue — it’s a constant. 

They’re not in a rush, in any of those two aspects.

They’ve got all the time in the world.

**Author's Note:**

> if you made it here, congrats and thank you for reading!! i hope you liked it <3 if you want to, pls leave some feedback!! again, thanks to my prompter and to the fest mods, you're all the best!!!!


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